It's Always The Quiet Ones
by smartkid37
Summary: When the unthinkable happens to the least likely member on the team, what happens to the team's dynamics? How do they find who's responsible without any known enemies? Will the team recover?
1. Prologue

_A/N: The_ deepest of thanks goes out to Arkangel_36 and Shelbylou for your muses and your help with this story.

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

Flexing his fingers after the long hours he'd just spent making children's toys, Gibbs took a minute to pick up his coffee cup; only to finally notice it was empty. Smirking at his own moment of unawareness, he walked around his work bench and trekked up the stairs to his kitchen for a fresh cup of java. Gibbs loved the night and the peace it offered, but he also knew that sleep was a must. So far this evening however, sleep hadn't even thought to show up on his doorstep yet. It merely stayed in the shadows, just out of reach. It was gonna be a long night.

Stepping up to the coffee pot, he lifted it up, swirled the contents of the almost empty carafe around; draining it, rinsing it out and refilling it with fresh hot water. Once he'd discarded the old coffee grounds and replaced them with new ones, he began pouring the water into the coffee maker. A smile came to him as he anticipated a nice fresh cup of coffee and nothing stressful to have to think about for a change, even if he couldn't find rest just yet.

Soon, though, the peaceful sounds of night were disturbed, shattered into fragments as, from seemingly right outside his home; a door slammed and the unmistakable sounds of a car taking off faster than their wheels would allow; stopping Gibbs' heart and almost making him drop the coffee pot.

Setting it down quickly, he bolted to his front door and looked out; shocked to his toes to find a body crumpled out on the sidewalk in front of his house and no sign of whoever had thrown the helpless person there like trash. He knew if it had been daylight, the rubber that the bastards had burnt as they'd peeled out would be visible on the street.

Grabbing his backup weapon and phone, thinking he'd call his team as soon as he helped the victim up out of the street, Gibbs hurried to the sidewalk, fully prepared to offer what assistance he could. What he wasn't prepared for, however; was the beaten and bloodied face looking back at him when he turned the non-resistant body over.

_McGee!_


	2. Chapter 1

"Dear God!" Gibbs choked out as he dropped to his knees next to his injured agent, the adrenalin making him numb to the painful jolt the drop sent through him. "Tim?" He gently touched the bruised and bloodied face and brought his other hand up to his agent's neck to check for a pulse, "Hold on, Son, just hold on."

Taking out his phone he made the first of three calls.

"Federal Agent down I need an ambulance. STAT!" After giving the operator his address and a growl for good measure, his next call was made.

"Ducky, need you – my house - now!" Was the short clipped request. He hated speaking to his old friend in that manner, but time was not his friend here.

The third and final call, "Tony, my house, full gear, call Ziva….NOW!"

Snapping his phone shut, he dropped it to the ground beside him and visually checked Tim for injuries. There was blood everywhere he looked, so much so that it was apparent that somewhere on his beaten agent, a wound, or wounds were bleeding profusely. Hearing a movement behind him, he stood and turned in one fluid motion with gun in hand and was brought up short by his elderly neighbor who lived two houses down; in her small hands, a throw pillow and lap quilt. He sighed loudly and lowered the gun, speaking to her gently and as calmly as he could. "Mrs. Crawford, thank you, but you shouldn't be out, it's late."

"You hush, Leroy Gibbs and let me help!" She fussed, unfazed by the fact that he had just pointed a gun at her, as she handed over the items she had brought without another word.

With a small, grateful smile, he took the items and knelt down to place them where they were needed most. He was struck by the random thought that he shouldn't be doing this for Tim because none of his team should be injured and tossed aside like this. It was then, that a small moan erupted from the younger man's mouth as Gibbs and Mrs. Crawford went about their ministrations. The small movements obviously caused Tim pain, and yet he laid there still unmoving.

"It's okay, Tim, you're safe now. Everything's going to be alright. Ducky and the team are one their way. Stay with me, Tim. You don't have permission to leave us. You hear me? " T Gibbs attempted to soothe his man, then stood, towering over the petite lady.

"You know this young man, Leroy?" The small, 90 year old hand shook as it was placed gently on Gibbs' arm since she was too short to reach his shoulder."

She had never called him anything but Leroy in all the years they'd been neighbors, a fact that, in the mist of this, somehow gave him pause, "Yes ma'am, he's one of my agents." The fact that the dear woman was well acquainted with Tony but didn't even know what Tim looked like, took up residence in the back of his mind as something to be dealt with later.

She harrumphed and looked up the road as squealing tires made their way toward them from around the corner, "You find those bastards, Leroy, this is inhuman, leaving the poor boy in the road like a dying dog. Why they're lucky I wasn't here, I would have gave them cause to think twice…"

"Yes ma'am, I'll take care of them." Gibbs looked back and realized that they were attracting a small crowd. "Now, I need you to move back, Mrs. Crawford, this is a crime scene. Thank you for the pillow and blanket."

Gibbs turned back to his wounded agent and dropped down beside him yet again. "Tim. C'mon, son, open your eyes and look at me. Let me see that you're still with me." He encouraged with enough tone that Tim would know it was part command, part worry.

Tim still did not stir. Seeing this normally vibrant and energetic young man so still and so beaten, shook Gibbs to the core.

"McGee!" Gibbs tried harder to bring the young man 'round, desperate for physical proof that the kid was still with him.

"…oss?" Tim whispered, a pained moan on the heels of the attempted address.

Gibbs breathed out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, Tim. I'm here, Son. Stay with me, ya hear me? Don't think you have permission to give up!"

"K… So…ry, B…ss" Tim's head finally moved, listlessly turning from side to side as if seeking something he couldn't find.

"Can you open your eyes, Tim?" Gibbs asked, hoping to see some sign of how Tim was doing that he couldn't physically tell. Without even thinking about it, he grasped one of Tim's hands and lifted it, gripping it just enough that Tim would know without a doubt that his boss had him now.

The sight of those dull glassy green orbs tore at Gibbs. Under normal circumstances, those eyes were a bright, shimmering green and the fact that they were now filled with so much pain damn near broke his heart. The feeling of relief he'd felt when Tim had opened his eyes upon request; was soon eaten up with the anger that returned at what had been done to this peace-loving, non-confrontational young man who would do anything for anyone. Forcing himself to calm down so Tim wouldn't sense his anger, Gibbs swallowed hard before he spoke again.

"Good. Tim. Stay awake for me. Ducky'll be here in a minute, alright?"

"Ss…ti..rd…oss." Tim mumbled as his eyes slid closed.

"I know, Son. But, you gotta stay with me, alright? Can you tell me anything about what happened?" Gibbs threw out there in hopes Tim's mind would grasp the question and hang onto consciousness to at least try to process it.

When no answer came, a sure sign that Tim had lost his hold on staying with him, Gibbs felt his heart plummet to his stomach. _They couldn't lose him_. He closed his eyes to ward off the emotions that threatened to crash through him in an uncontrolled wave. Feeling a hand on his arm, he opened his eyes to find Ducky crouching down to tend to Tim.

"What happened, Jethro?"

Gibbs, while shocked at the M.E.'s almost silent arrival, wasted no time explaining the situation, quick and to the point as to not waste anymore precious time. Finally, looking around him, he realized his team had arrived just as quietly, apparently, too shaken to handle it any other way.

The fact that Gibbs' team made it before the ambulance was a testament to the loyalty and trust they carried for their leader. His tone with his phone calls had left no doubt that someone was in trouble and for the alarm he'd sounded, they'd tripled their efforts to get there as quickly as possible. Even Jimmy had found his way onto the scene. _Ducky's doing no doubt_.

Soon the area was cordoned off, and photos were being taken. Curses and promises of retribution could be heard whispering on the wind as Tim was assessed; first by Ducky and then by EMT's, who scooped him up and whisked him away to get the medical attention he so desperately needed. Jimmy stayed behind, face chalk white at what he had seen. The M.E.'s Assistant had rarely seen their beloved M.E. as angry as he had been just now and the air around him seemed to crackle with the heat of it as it enveloped the older man like a shield. His words had been short and clipped as he'd assessed Tim's condition, which was a rarity, and a frightening thing to bear witness too.

In the midst of all the commotion surrounding them, Tony's stony silence unnerved the others, even as they were awash in their own mixed emotions about what had happened to one of their own. A quiet Tony was a Tony in trouble or at least one in the midst of swallowing a hell of a lot of anger. Gibbs feared for what his Senior Field Agent would do with that bottled up. The young man needed to be kept busy while he worked through it. Before he could issue any order to keep the young man busy, Ziva spoke into their midst.

"Tony, we are all angry, it is okay to let it out. You cannot let McGee see your anger. He will take it as guilt."

"I don't get it! Why the hell would they go after McGee? He's the quiet one; the least likely to piss somebody off. Why him?" Tony demanded angrily as he slammed the door on the Autopsy van.

"That is what we will have to determine, Tony. Hopefully, McGee will have something to tell us when he is able to." Ziva steadfastly held onto the calm she knew her teammate needed at the moment.

Gibbs had heard enough. They'd done all they could here since Tim and Ducky were already on their way to the hospital and Metro had arrived and swiftly taken over the scene. This was one time, Gibbs wasn't gonna fight it out; at least not yet. He knew Vance would take it from Metro quicker and with less backlash than he could even think to accomplish. Besides, Tim needed them. All of them. _Abby!_

"Tony, you and Ziva go get Abby before you come to the hospital. Call her before you get there to save time." Gibbs directed as he turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, take the truck back to the Navy Yard and then join us at the hospital."

The M.E.'s assistant seemed frozen in place, his face, a mask of disbelief and shock. With Ducky gone from the scene to accompany Tim to the hospital, Jimmy seemed lost among the chaos.

"Palmer? Jimmy!" Gibbs shouted when the Autopsy Gremlin hadn't responded to his order.

"Wha..?" Jimmy started at the boom of Gibbs' voice.

"Come on, CSI's and LEO's are here. They're taking over the crime scene." Gibbs noticed Jimmy's frown, "Only until Vance get's a hold of the lead detective handling the case. Right now, Tim is our priority and our best lead to finding the bastard that did this."

Jimmy nodded solemnly and followed Gibbs to Tony's car. "Is he gonna be alright, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs turned and gave Jimmy a hard look. He hadn't thought of Ducky's Assistant as young since Jimmy'd been haunted by that guy that had taken a shot at him some time back, but right now, hearing him ask the question and seeing the fear of losing a friend written on his face, he decided to answer with as much conviction as he could,

"He knows he doesn't have my permission to die, Palmer. Now let's go."


	3. Chapter 2

Once the scene had been handed over to the locals, the trip to the hospital was a quiet one. Gibbs' mind was racing, not really around the track of the why's, or how of what had happened is, but rather the one that housed the fact that it even happened at all. Anger was the dominant emotion of the evening. Pure, unadulterated anger at whoever was behind this despicable deed. The air surrounding the silent trio was chock full of it and it was thick enough to cut through it with a machete.

Gibbs' hands tightened on the steering wheel as faces of those who would be so bold as to attack a member of HIS team flashed in his mind. There weren't many, because there wasn't many that would have the balls to stand up to the tough Former Marine-cum seasoned NCIS agent, but there were a few. He mentally ticked off names and either filed them into _possibilities_, _in prison_ or _dead_.

Thankfully, _the possibilities_ made s a short list, though he suddenly realized that he would need to have Tony and Ziva do the same. He was debating whether or not this was meant as a message to him alone, or to them all as a team. _Oh, Crap!_ Even Abby had managed to make an enemy or two since she'd started working at NCIS. Even Palmer had been targeted once. _Did they need to be included too?_ Never one to take chances, the Team Leader mentally grouped them all together; after all, he held himself responsible for the safety of all of them to begin with. This just turned up the seriousness of the issue.

Gibbs bit back a growl as he realized that his list had just grown exponentially and he found himself feeling beyond pissed. His anger spilled over into his driving and he sharply turned, fishtailed and corrected his way into the Bethesda parking lot. _I'll track them to the ends of the earth, Tim. No one hurts my team. No one! _The boss silently vowed.

Once parked, it was but a scant few steps before he was whooshing through the doors and slapping his ID on the desk of the young ER receptionist, "Agent Tim McGee, was just brought him in. Where is he?"

The receptionist glanced at the ID and smiled, "Agent Gibbs, I was told to expect you. Dr. Mallard is with your man in Trauma Unit 3. Let me buzz you in."

Gibbs blinked at the ease of gaining access and gave the young lady a small, sincere smile "Thank you." He said gruffly and walked through the door to find his injured man.

"Ah Jethro, over here!" Ducky called from the ER Desk further down the corridor.

"How is he, Duck? What exactly did those bastards do to him?" Gibbs growled angrily.

"Calm yourself, Jethro. Timothy has been sedated to help manage his pain and his stress levels while the initial examination was conducted to search for obvious injuries and possible broken bones. He has been stabilized and put on an I.V. to keep him hydrated. Timothy's blood pressure is also being monitored just to play it safe. His breathing is normal, for which we should be most thankful because I was worried that he'd suffered some internal damage to his lungs with the way he was struggling to stay with us at your house."

"Okay, so what's the bad news?" Gibbs asked as he proved he could read Ducky almost as well as the M.E. read him on a regular basis.

"Jethro, we're not finished yet. We've finally reached the point that we've started to remove his clothing so that we can bag it for evidence in finding whoever has done this to him. It seems that, although quite painful, the injuries are more…" Ducky stopped to word his explanation in a way that would leave no doubt about what he was trying to convey "The injuries, Jethro, were done with more precision and thought than anger. This was not a 'brutal attack' it was a work of utmost control. He or she knew exactly what they wanted to do and how close they wanted to bring poor Timothy to the edge, although it would seem that whoever did this did give in to anger at one point judging by the identical angry slash made into each of his lower legs and feet. I'm just thankful that there wasn't anything life threatening there, though the poor boy will be in a lot of pain for a while." Ducky watched as Gibbs' face hardened "Metro sent a CSI over to photograph and document the injuries as we do the exam. He is in there now."

"I don't want them here, Ducky! my Agent! my evidence! Vance is taking care of the red tape and I'm taking care of Tim."

"But Jethro, surely you see the…" Ducky was interrupted by a frantic yell from Tim's room and he left his answer hanging in the air as he made haste and ran into the room. The footsteps that followed behind him let him know that Gibbs wasn't far behind.

"Dr. Mallard, look at this!" The young, ER attending motioned as she gently rolled the injured agent to his side pulled up the blood soaked t-shirt.

"Dear God!" Ducky exclaimed as he pulled on a pair of gloves, "Let's get this shirt off and bagged. Hand me the shears if you would, Dr. Kimbell. A new pair, right out of the package, yes those will do nicely."

"Duck, wait!" Gibbs ordered. Looking over at the CSI Agent, he issued an order with steel in his tone. "Get every bit of this documented!"

"Yes, Sir." The nervous man answered as he kept snapping the photos of what Ducky was dealing with. After a couple of minutes of flashes almost blinding them all, the young man ducked his head, stepped back and spoke. "Okay. I've got it."

Ducky nodded and took the shears and gently cut away the thin shirt and put it in the awaiting evidence bag.

"This is, my God Ducky!" Gibbs closed his eyes as what he was seeing now that the shirt had been removed. The sight that had met him registered harshly and for the second time in his life, he found himself wanting to put a lapua bullet through the brain of the person that had done this.

"Jethro, please, I know it's horrendous, but kindly stand back!" Ducky took that moment to curb his emotions and continue his delicate work, ignoring the low growl coming from his close friend.

For the next few seconds, the sounds of snips and tugs could be heard until finally, Ducky spoke with anger clear in is voice. "Dr. Kimbell, please, if you would finish cleaning the wounds and find out what damn well is taking X-Ray so long!" Ducky took what he had just removed and placed it into the opened evidence bag that appeared beside him. He thanked the young CSI and watched as he properly tagged it before handing it over to Ducky to sign. Once that had been done, the M.E. placed it in the box with the other evidence taken from Tim since he'd arrived in the ambulance.

"Yes Dr. Mallard." She returned, clearly as angry as Ducky at the abuse this young man had taken.

Ducky ripped off his gloves and discarded them in the bio-hazard waste bin next to the table, and stalked from the room stopping just outside the door because at this point, he was loath to leave Tim alone without his team. "Bastards! You find the monsters responsible for this, Jethro!"

Gibbs followed, disturbed at not only what he had just witnessed, but at the anger his usually soft spoken and kind friend was displaying. "Duck, talk to me! Has to be pretty bad for you not to let me see it."

"It won't help you to see what they did to him, Jethro."

"Which means you have proof that this is about me. Whoever did this is after me and you damn well know it. I don't believe in coincidence, Ducky. My house, my agent!"

"I do believe you are correct, Jethro. The deliberate placement of the message sent back with Timothy, leads me to believe that this was most definitely meant to be a message for you,. Whoever did this knows this team well enough to know that I would be in Timothy's care; thereby finding the message and relaying it back to you."

"And yet you made sure I didn't see it. Just tell me what it said, Duck!"

"Oh, Jethro! I suppose I should have known better than to think I could keep it from you. Come, I will show it to you. Better that you see it for yourself." Ducky ducked the question because he found the answer too painful to have to provide.

Turning, the M.E. led the way back through the door of Tim's room and silently walked over to the box of evidence so he could withdraw the envelope that held the horrid piece of deliberately inflicted pain. With a heavy sigh, he handed it to his friend, hating what it would do to him and hating the fact that he was the one who had to hand it to him.

Gibbs sympathetically patted his long-time friend on the arm to try and silently offer his compassionate understanding of what he'd tried to do. Glancing worriedly over at his sedated agent, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out so that the deep rooted anger didn't get the better of him. Looking down at the envelope in his hands, he turned it over to the side that wasn't completely taken up with the evidence label and felt his anger surge to the surface and break through the roof. Gibbs turned on his heel with the evidence still in hand and stormed out of the room to try and grab a moment to collect himself. Tim didn't need this right now and it was something that the team leader could at least keep to himself. Ducky followed and watched as Gibbs leaned heavily against the wall.

"Jethro? I apologise fo…."

"Sign of weakness, Duck. You know that. I'm pissed and I don't want McGee to hear it."

Ducky nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the nurse's frantic voice calling for the M.E. to join them back in the room. "Dr. Mallard!"

As Ducky and Gibbs hurried back inside the room, they were both brought up short at the sight of the nearly naked agent lying completely still since he was still sedated on the bed with all of his injuries exposed…or so they believed.

Angry slash marks trailed along the entire length of Tim's legs, and spread down onto the tops of his feet. It was obvious that it was these injuries, that had alarmed the poor woman…or so they thought. They were both proven wrong when she motioned for Ducky to look closer at Tim, lifting the part of his boxer shorts that covered his extreme upper thigh to reveal what appeared to be countless cigarette burns and slash marks identical to those on his lower legs and feet.

"Oh, dear heavens!" Ducky cried in distress as he cast a critical eye over the insidious looking marks of the intentionally inflicted cruelty. "It would appear, Jethro, that our original assumption that this was strictly a message for you was mistaken. These are definite signs of a more personal nature to this attack. Whoever has done this would appear to be angry at both of you."

"Guess that narrows down the search." Gibbs answered quietly. He was so far beyond pissed that he felt like he was drowning in his own anger and misery. With his eyes still on the injuries inflicted on Tim's more private regions, he spoke of what his mind was thinking. "Duck, these are…this means…"

"Yes, Jethro, I'm afraid you are correct. These injuries show that whoever did this, undressed Timothy, injured him, probably spent some time torturing him, and then redressed him only to injure him further before returning him to you."

"Any signs of…?" Gibbs whispered harshly, not totally sure as to whether he really wanted to give voice to what he hoped hadn't happened to his boy.

"I will have them check, Jethro. I believe Timothy would be mortified if I were to be present when they perform that examination. I will let you know their findings."

"He's not being left alone. " Gibbs declared in the tone that brokered no arguments.

"I agree. Until you have caught whoever has done this, I suspect that Timothy is still in danger. Unless, of course, they are finished with him now that they have sent their message."

"Not likely, Duck. Keep me updated. I have to get the others moving on this."

"Jethro, they'll want to see Timothy, to know for themselves that he is alive." Ducky added as he removed his glasses to rub at his eyes. It was such an inane act, but a sign that Gibbs recognized wholly as his friend being under stress.

"Gonna have to take my word for it, Duck. They've got work to do. We need to find this bastard."

"I agree." Ducky replied and replaced his glasses. "But please, discretion must be there, Jethro. Timothy wouldn't want it any other way."

Gibbs nodded and headed out, leaving his agent in the safe hands of his friends, and the hospital staff.

Walking out to the waiting room, Gibbs was instantly besieged by the rest of the team, although Abby's voice was the only one that seemed to cut through the barrage of questions he faced. It was shrill and he knew that it was due to the agitation, stress, extreme worry and fear that she felt.

"GIBBS! I wanna see Timmy! I need to see him! He's alright, right?"

The team leader held up his hands to quiet her before answering. "He's alive, Abby. We don't know everything that was done to him just yet; but it looks like they were just trying to send us a message that we pissed them off and they had to do something to hand out a little payback."

"Whattaya mean, Boss?" Tony asked quietly.

"None of his bones are broken and he doesn't have anything life-threatening going on. Whoever did this just wanted Tim and I to know we've pissed them off. Need all of you to get out there and find who did this. Start at the front of my house with the tire tracks. Abby, Ducky's got Tim's clothes, see if you can get Metro's cooperation in a joint investigation into the evidence. Tony, Ziva. I wanna know how Tim got to my house and I want a timeline of what he did from the time he left work last night until he was tossed outta that car at my house early this morning. Go!"

"Boss, we'd rea…."

"DiNozzo, he's gonna wanna know why this happened and who's responsible. I know I damn sure wanna know!"

"Ziva, here, would you go get the car? Take Abbs, I'll be out in a minute." Tony requested in a quiet tone that was seldom associated with the senior agent.

Ziva knew Tony was bucking for a private word with Gibbs and so she did as Tony was requesting and gently cupped Abby's elbow to guide them out to the car so that the two men could be left alone. The minute they were gone, the younger man looked to the boss for the real truth.

"What aren't you telling me, Boss? What'd they do to him?" the Senior Field Agent asked with painfully searching eyes. "What did the bastard do!"

"Tony, go find us something to go on so we can get who did this." Gibbs quietly ordered. It was a statement that was obviously loaded with the boss' silent intent to keep some things private for Tim. "That's what you need to focus on. Seeing him now would only make you angrier and angry doesn't get the job done. Understand? We've got to keep our heads in this. Tim's counting on us to get whoever did this to him."

Tony was irritated but sympathetic to what was being asked of him and dropped the conversation as he nodded wordlessly. He was not willing to spar with Gibbs over this. The boss was right, they needed to get out there and find out who had done this. "And make them wish they'd never been born." Tony whispered under his breath before turning and following the women out of the hospital.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Our humblest apologies for the long delay in the update. This one took a lot of re-writing and thought processes to get it where we were happy with it._

_Thank you for your invaluable help, Arkangel_36 & Shelbylou! Couldn't have done it without you._

_Special Thanks goes to Servant05 - your honest critique was very helpful. We hope this chapter answers your questions and we certainly hope you stay with us._

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><p><strong>Last Time on "It's Always The Quiet Ones"<strong>

"_Whoever did this is after me and you damn well know it. I don't believe in coincidence, Ducky._ My house, my agent!"

"_Whoever did this did give in to anger at one point judging by the identical angry slash made into each of his lower legs and feet. I'm just thankful that there wasn't anything life threatening there."_

_Angry slash marks trailed along the entire length of Tim's legs, and spread down onto the tops of his feet. It was obvious that it was these injuries, that had alarmed the poor woman…or so they thought. They were both proven wrong when she motioned for Ducky to look closer at Tim, lifting the part of his boxer shorts that covered his extreme upper thigh to reveal what appeared to be countless cigarette burns and slash marks identical to those on his lower legs and feet._

"_These are definite signs of a more personal nature to this attack. Whoever has done this would appear to be angry at both of you."_

"_These injuries show that whoever did this, undressed Timothy, injured him, probably spent some time torturing him, and then redressed him only to injure him further before returning him to you."_

_"None of his bones are broken and he doesn't have anything life-threatening going on. Whoever did this just wanted Tim and I to know we've pissed them off_.

_"He's not being left alone!"_

_*****NCIS**NCIS**NCIS*****_

_**AND NOW:**_

_PAIN! FIERY, Breath Stealing, PAIN!_

_He felt it everywhere, it covered him in so many places; like a patchwork quilt of fire and despair from which there was no escape. He was suffocating; he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think past the pain. It was hell. Caught in a maze of agony and confusion; all he wanted to do was find his way out. No matter which way he turned, his body twisting and moving to desperately get away from the intensity of it; it followed him, his legs burned from the very top of his thighs; edging down towards his most private area, even; all the way down to the tops of his feet, his chest hurt with breath stealing agony. Even his nose hurt. No matter what he did, he found it difficult to breathe. He couldn't escape any of it and the maniacal laughter resonated through the air that surrounded him, taunting him mercilessly._

"_**You thought you were tough, didn't ya, boy? Well, you ain't so tough after all, are ya?"**_

"_**Agent McGee, please remove your trousers."**__ The voice changed to that of an obvious show of an imitation, filled with bitterness, with anger infusing every word like the crack of a whip; over and over again as it nearly growled in his ear even as his pants were viciously yanked from his legs. Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_NO!_

_No! _

_Suddenly, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, garnering an instant, heart-stopping reaction: _

"_**NO!" **_

Bolting upright in his hospital bed, Tim fought even harder to breathe and gasped for the air that seemed elusive to him. It was made all the more difficult through his nose; which felt broken and was swollen and tender from the initial assault as a promise of more to come; which made the desperation to get away from the pain he was feeling all the more stronger as he remembered what had been inflicted on him and the merciless humiliation that had come with it. His body remained taught with tension as his eyes searched desperately for something to latch onto that would tell him what the hell was going on or at least that he wasn't back there anymore.

"Easy, Timothy. It's alright, dear boy. You're safe now, I promise you.." Ducky soothed as he withdrew his hand from Tim's shoulder and tried to move so that he could line himself up with Tim's field of vision.

He knew the young man needed to find him and stay focused on him in order to be able to calm down and stop the panic from totally overwhelming him.

As Ducky's words and soothing tone worked to calm Tim's frayed nerves, his beaten body nearly folded in on itself already screaming in protest of the sharp, sudden movements. It was something that he hadn't noticed until then and as the adrenalin of waking up so suddenly started to dissipate, the pain from his nose only served to make the rest of his body feel that much worse.

"Come , Timothy, lie back down. That's it. Relax. You mustn't tax your body so. It needs time to heal...there now, there's a good lad." Ducky continued to encourage soothingly.

Tim's mind seemed to finally let go of the horror that had chased it from oblivion and grab onto Ducky's words like a lifeline, saving him from the nightmarish visions and memories. His eyes lost the look of acute fear and disorientation only to settle into that of wary uncertainty mixed with pleading for something, although what that something was, wasn't clear.

"That's it dear boy, Relax. Now, can you tell me what has you so frightened? Maybe I can be of some help?"

Tim's eyes slammed shut and imperceptible trembling soon descended on him. The fact that Gibbs wasn't here had just slid home and was only ramping up the agitation and fear racing through him, for what his boss' absence meant. Once upon a time, the fact that the boss wasn't here for Tim would have only set up a feeling of not even registering on the boss' radar of concern, but after last night, that was the furthest thing from Tim's mind.

Now, he just needed visual confirmation that the man was alright. Scared or not, he rationalized; he needed to convey that Gibbs was a target. He realized he was doing more harm than good if he were to stay silent. _If Gibbs doesn't know what's happening, how can he be alert? _He had to have a minute to talk to the boss. He wouldn't be able to rest easy until he had that. He's an agent and sworn to uphold the law and cow-towing to this criminal's threats without giving Gibbs what he needed to catch this bastard wasn't acceptable. Neither did it ease the continued quaking nerves that had assaulted him against his will, manifesting themselves in the physical tremors that wouldn't leave him.

The M.E. didn't miss the trembling wracking the injured man's body and quickly changed tactics. "It's all right, Timothy. You don't have to tell me about it if you do not wish to. Let's let the doctor check you over now that you're awake, shall we?"

"Ducky." Tim rasped out hoarsely. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Relax, dear boy. Jethro has not left the hospital since he arrived here with you in the ambulance. He is simply making necessary phone calls at the moment."

"I need to talk to him! It's important!"

"Timothy, he will return shortly. Do calm down, won't you? Getting upset will not help your recovery. With any luck, you'll be allowed to go home within the next day or so if you adhere to the doctor's orders."

The idea of spending even a single night in the hospital immediately amped up the worry for Gibbs' safety in Tim's mind. He knew that the crazy bastard that had taken and hurt him, would carry through with his threat to go after the Team Leader; was almost already convinced he had, after all the man wasn't here. Tim would give himself back to them on a silver platter before he let anything happen to Gibbs or any of the others, but knew that right now, the team would do what they could to protect both him and Gibbs. But, first he had to talk to Gibbs!

As Ducky's talk of having to stay in the hospital tonight and possibly tomorrow night as well, the worry started to settle deep in his gut and made it difficult for Tim to see how it was going to work. His silent determination to go back to NCIS and work on discovering who this bastard was tonight grew and he knew that he had to talk to the boss now…_right_ _NOW!, Gibbs was not safe! Gibbs was in danger and it was Tim's fault and he would NOT lie here in this hospital bed and let anything happen to the boss on account of him! With the boss not here, even though Ducky had given him his word that he was here somewhere, Tim still felt it in his gut that it was very possible that he'd been taken already, there was no time to lose, He needed to go help Tony and Ziva find him. So, then why couldn't he find the words to say something?_

_**Don't you say a word, BOY! You even THINK of opening that smart mouth of yours and I'll make you wish you and that boss of yours never crossed my path! **_

_**Nothin' I'd like better than to drag his know-it-all ass in here and let him watch you cry like a blubbering baby, you weak pathetic excuse for an agent! **_

_**It'd make my day to turn the tables on the two of you, let you know what it feels like to be treated like a dog! Locked up, barely fed a decent meal, stripped searched, slapped around and your career ruined! Oh, yeah, would definitely make my day! **_

_**Collaring you was easy enough. Bet I can get my hands on that boss of yours just as easily. Don't try me, BOY or I'll do it! **_

_**You damn NCIS Agents think you're better than the rest of us! By the time I'm done with ya, you'll never have that high and mighty attitude again, I promise ya that!**_

His eyes snapped open once more and he realized that his body had almost given into the exhaustion and the drugs, and his mind had taken advantage of that slip to replay the words that had been said to him so contemptuously by the coward who'd taken him, and heard them echoing in his mind over and over again. He shook his head slightly in an attempt to try and send those memories to the furthest recesses of his mind and refocus his thoughts so he could think of a way out of this mess.

He looked around and realized he was alone in his hospital room. Despite the need for more pain relief, and without even worrying about what the absence of anyone else in his room might mean, Tim reached for the button on his bed and he raised himself up slowly. Time hadn't done his injuries any favors and he felt the stiffness start to settle in alongside the agony that hadn't left him. He winced in pain and his breath hitched sharply, but still he kept on until he was sitting up completely. Spying a pad of paper and a pen on the table beside his bed, he pushed through the pain barrier again and reached for them both before grasping them and panting harshly as he pushed himself to the limits of his endurance to do what he knew he had to.

With his throat feeling raw and useless, writing was the obvious means of communication and he needed to get busy communicating. Once he'd secured his hold on the tools he needed to accomplish his mission, Tim flopped back against his pillow and worked to regulate his breathing even though the pain seemed to refuse to abate in any place he was feeling it. Even his head seemed to want to explode as he vaguely remembered being knocked out and coming to with that gutless man behind the darkness snickering at him as… _No, Tim. Don't go back there. Stay focused_. As his breathing began to return to normal and his mind worked to cooperate and focus yet again, back to the present; Tim remained still, keeping his eyes closed in an attempt to ease the turbulent ride though the physical aches and pains his ordeal had left him with and the fight to stay away from the instant replay button in his head

"Probie? You all right?" Tony's unexpected voice filled the room as he stood in the doorway of the small bathroom within Tim's hospital room.

Still in the throes of the lingering tendrils of physical pain lancing through him, Tim could only shake his head in reply. He wished he'd have known Tony was here. He'd have waited to reach for anything. Realizing he hadn't been alone after all, eased that small part of his mind that had been whispering the tormented thoughts that his solitude in the room showed exactly how much he didn't matter to the team. Ignoring that thought, Tim focused his attention on Tony. As the last whispers of physical pain and momentary sliver of emotional stress at feeling neglected slithered away, he was left feeling exhausted and listless but his mind refused to stop thinking

He had a mission to accomplish and nothing could be allowed to stop him. In fact, he knew he could count on Tony's help without having to say very much at all. The bottom line here was to insure that anyone on the team who would possibly be asked, '_What'd McGee say about what happened?'_ would be able to say, with absolute honesty, '_He's not talking.' How else could he be sure he wasn't endangering Gibbs or the rest of the team? He had to keep his mouth shut, especially in a public place like this. WAIT A MINUTE! YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO LISTEN TO THAT CRAP! OPEN YOUR MOUTH, MCGEE! _

Tim took the chance at talking since he hadn't gotten the note finished "Tony!" he whispered loudly, not wanting to be heard outside his room.

"What's wrong, Probie?"

"This guy's not finished! You have to watch Gibbs' back! Tell everyone to stay sharp!" Every word stung his already overused vocal chords, just as he'd feared they would. The screaming while being the painfully tortured having done its damage, making it difficult to speak with the urgency he needed to convey.

"Alright, Probie. I'll tell them, You alright, though?" Tony looked at his partner carefully. He didn't quite understand the graveled whispering but he didn't argue with the point Tim was making sure he heard. Seeing him in pain from speaking, kept Tony from asking any more questions.

Hearing the last of Tony's concerned question and seeing the slight negative shake of Tim's head, the Doctor answered as he followed an equally worried Ducky back into the room and towards the bed. "I'm not surprised, Agent McGee. I'm certainly glad to see you're awake. Can you tell me how you are feeling?"

Tim offered a tiny shrug and a small smile, content to remain quiet now that he'd gotten his message through to his Senior partner. He knew Tony would make sure everyone was kept safe and alert. Now, Tim just needed to hear what the doctor had to say so he could figure out how to best get out of here tonight.

"Your body's been through quite an ordeal and needs to be given a proper chance to heal, so I expect you to focus on sleeping as much as possible. Your teammates have already been instructed as such and understand this and I hope you do too." The doctor continued.

Tim nodded at the doctor in silent agreement to what he was being told and sat there soaking in what was being said even as his mind screamed at him that resting wasn't an option until he knew Gibbs and the others were safe and the bastard who'd done this and was still a threat to the team, had been caught and put behind bars where he belonged.

"You up to hearing the update on what you're facing?" his doctor asked as he took in his patient's silence and his thoughtful expression.

Tim nodded slowly as his eyes glanced over at Tony and then Ducky, before traveling back to the blanket that covered his chest. _Why was his chest feeling so tight? Why did it feel like he'd been wrapped like a mummy? Why was the middle of his back feeling like it was on fire?_

"Alright, but first let me check your vital signs. I know the nurses have done it regularly, but I want to see them for myself just to be sure we're not dealing with more problems than we see already."

Silently, Tim sat through the doctor's motions and minor checks for his vital signs, all the while keeping an eye on the unusually silent Tony out of the corner of his eye. Something was going on here and Tim was feeling more alarmed and unsettled about it by the minute. Finally, the doctor was finished and resumed his position by the end of the bed, next to Ducky and took up the conversation where he'd left off.

"Alright. Your vital signs look fine, Agent McGee. However, your injuries need time to heal." As if suddenly remembering that both Tony and Ducky were present, he stopped and looked at them and then back at Tim. "Do you want me to continue this in private?"

Tim took a silent minute to take stock of the pain he felt and where it was radiating from. As the places on his extreme upper thighs where he'd been deliberately cut into repeatedly, registered on his brain, he closed his eyes in hopes of hiding the rush of embarrassment and humiliation he felt flood through him. Suddenly, it came back to him that something was more important than what he was feeling or thinking about in regard to that or even what the doctor had to say. The information about his injuries could wait. Getting Tony moving on what he'd asked him to do could not wait. _Why was Tony still standing here?_ Looking over at the doctor, he spoke up softly. "Give me a minute, first." His tone that of a soft request as he turned to Tony, hoping against hope that Tony wouldn't be offended; that he'd understand. "Tony, do it now!"

Looking sharply back up at Tim, Tony nodded and left the room without another moment's hesitation, not thinking to close the door behind him..

"Would you like me continue, Agent McGee?" The doctor asked with a small, comforting smile as to not further worry the injured and obviously worried Agent.

Tim nodded and gave a small, shadow of a smile of gratitude in return for being allowed to do what he needed to before the doctor gave his report. It wasn't much, but it would get the ball rolling in the right direction….he hoped.

* * *

><p>Gibbs snapped his phone shut and stuffed it back into his pocket, his Senior Field Agent's voice filled with unusual solemn urgency, still ringing in his ears:<p>

"_Boss, McGee's awake but he's not talking much Only thing he's said is that the guy who took him's not finished. He's convinced whoever took him is coming after you next. I don't think he's gonna be able to relax or even get any sleep until he sees for himself that you're alright."_

Thankful that he hadn't left the hospital, Gibbs anxiously headed to his agent's room so that he could let the young man see for himself that he was fine. He needed to get Tim talking so they could figure out who was behind this act of cowardice. Suddenly, the walk back to the elevator from the cafeteria seemed endless. 

* * *

><p>"While you were knocked unconscious and have a serious knot on your head, you are not suffering from anything more severe than a minor concussion. You are very lucky in that respect, Agent McGee because whilst you still need to be observed, we are not overly worried about it. However, I must caution you, it will be at least tomorrow before you're in any shape to go anywhere and when you are released, it won't be to go home alone. You have a total of 36, matching sets of incisions in your legs, beginning on your extreme upper thighs and continuing all the way down to the tops of your feet. You will need to keep those injuries clean to prevent infection, as none of them were deep enough to require stitching. Your attacker did manage to land a hit or two to your face and in turn causing minor trauma to your nose resulting in bleeding and swelling, but somehow managed not to break it. That in itself is another small victory. Your chest and ribs are severely bruised, but again you are most fortunate that none of your ribs were broken or even cracked and no internal organs were injured beyond slight bruising. The area at the small of your back is healing quite nicely but we will keep it covered for now. Whomever you stay with will help you in taking care of that area as well. Do you have any questions?"<p>

Tim began to feel slightly overwhelmed at what the doctor was telling him, but it was the underlying silence of what wasn't being said, that fed his anxiety and made the questions that remained unanswered more urgent. As he lay there ticking them over in his mind, he knew that he didn't really want to have to voice them, but in the same beat, he had to have the answers.

Noting the look of approaching distress, Ducky laid a hand on the doctor's arm and spoke to him quietly. "If you would be so kind as to allow me to discuss the rest of what has been done to him, Doctor, I believe you'll find him to be much calmer hearing it from myself, since I have known and worked with Timothy for nearly 8 years now. He needs to hear this from a friend."

The doctor noted his patient's current obvious state of increasing anxiety and nodded at Ducky, handing him Tim's file and making a discreet exit, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Timothy, you needn't fear, dear boy. I can see the worry you are experiencing. Let me reassure you, you were not violated in the way that I know you are fearing. There is no evidence of any such act. Although, I must say that what you have endured is violation enough to be more than anxious. Your fear is completely understandable."

Tim let out a sigh of such profound relief that Ducky offered him a smile of encouragement. Still, Tim did not completely relax or lose the worried look that had been the underlying layer of emotion he'd been trying to hide before the other questions interfered. He closed his eyes and laid his head back, unable to stop the intense worry and dread that was flowing through him when a visual idea of what might had happened to the boss filtered into his , replaying what his doctor had said over in his fatigued mind, he remembered with renewed pain, "My back. He did something to my back." Tim rasped, "Tell me."

Ducky frowned but before he could say anything more in hopes of addressing the young man's concerns, the door opened and Gibbs stepped in silently with a coffee in hand.

As he stepped into the room, Gibbs was relieved to find Ducky apparently managing to calm Tim down about something, although his agent certainly didn't look like he was done being worried about something. Tony was right, it seemed. . With Tim's chart open in the M.E.'s hands, it was easy to surmise that their conversation had been about the indignities that had been heaped upon Tim while he'd been taken and held against his will. Still, the boss knew Ducky's conversation wasn't foremost on Tim's mind at the moment, at least, not entirely.

"McGee."

Tim's eyes snapped to those of his boss and his demeanor immediately calmed and relaxed completely, almost bonelessly dropping back against the bed, his head falling to his pillow, relief taking up every spare inch of room in his eyes, the inaudible "Thank God!" nearly bouncing off him.

Ducky turned to his long-time friend and quietly greeted him while closing Tim's medical chart and placing it back in its' place at the end of his bed.

"Something else happen?" Gibbs asked the M.E. quietly.

"No, Jethro. I have just informed Timothy of the good news and I believe he is still processing it as well as the list of injuries the doctor has just given him. It is also quite obvious that Timothy has been worried about your lack of attendance, although I have only my own ideas upon which to base an assumption as to why that is."

Taking the bull by the horns, Gibbs replied "Give us a minute."

The M.E. knew that he needed to give the Senior Agent a moment to get his teammate to reconnect and open up to him. Nodding, he kept silent and turned to leave the two of them alone. Stopping first, Ducky placed his hand on Gibbs' arm and leaned in to offer him a gentle reminder. "Jethro, he must rest if he is to recover."

"I know, Duck. I got this." Gibbs reassured him quietly as he took one of the chairs and set it by Tim's bed where they could talk quietly.

When the M.E. had vacated the room, Gibbs settled into the chair and looked his agent over, feeling a wash of relief that he was alive and well.

"How you feelin'?"

"I'm okay."

"Tony told me you weren't talking much. I need to know why."

Tim closed his eyes, unwilling to show his eagle-eyed boss any sign of weakness.

"Tim, look at me." Gibbs quietly ordered as he shifted to get comfortable in the chair.

Tim automatically obeyed the boss' command and looked directly into those cobalt blue anchors. He managed to find a measure of peace at the safety and concern there and felt the tension literally slipping away.

"Need you to answer some questions for me" The boss continued on, feeling encouraged by the quick response he'd gotten to his request for Tim's attention. He gave himself the change to guage what was going on with the young man and waited patiently for the response.

Tim nodded before sending his eyes back down to his hands as they lay on the blanket he was covered with. "Okay." he finally responded quietly.

"Did you see who took you?"

Tim shook his head in denial, his motions almost those of a state of guilt. His breathing was becoming harsh again. "I never saw his face. I was unlocking my car door when I got knocked out from behind. When I woke up, I had what felt like a cloth sack over my head."

Gibbs kept going, seemingly almost uncaring of the plethora of emotions crashing through his softly speaking agent in waves. "Calm down, McGee. Just focus on my questions, alright? Did they take the sack off your head at all?"

Again, Tim shook his head in denial while struggling to pull his breathing back under control. "No."

Since the boss wasn't passing judgment, merely ferreting out the necessary information, it was much easier to calm down. The boss was safe, that's what was important. Besides, Tim knew without a doubt that Tony was doing what he'd asked of him. That was the only reason Tim could even think of staying calm, even with Gibbs here, especially with him here. It was one thing to see that he was safe; quite another to have him remain here; where they were completely vulnerable to the very bastard who'd taken Tim and threatened to take Gibbs. Two targets in the same room at the same time; it was a perfect setup for a bad situation and only Tim's confidence in his Senior Teammate kept him from showing any of what he was thinking.

"Okay McGee. You need to help me out here. You didn't see who took you but you haven't been sharing any details with anyone." The boss kept pushing gently with an air of rarely seen patience and calm. "They threatened you." The boss reasoned aloud, now that the pieces had clicked together in his investigative mind.

Tim's eyes came up. Looking his boss straight on, he spoke: "He promised to kill you after he got done doing the same thing or worse to you. Said he'd be just as nice to the others as he'd been with me if I did, Boss." Tim's voice shook with the full gammit of emotions that talking about this was bringing back up. Resolutely, he kept to the facts, speaking of nothing else.

Gibbs clenched his jaw, the effort to control his anger a monumental one. These bastards, whoever they were, had used his agent not only as a punching bag and a messenger, but they'd threatened Gibbs by playing on McGee's well known unwillingness to see anything happen to his teammate or boss. "Tell me the last thing you remember before they took you. What happened while they had you?"

Alarm filled Tim's eyes as he silently screamed at his boss not to ask that of him; alarm along with self-imposed responsibility and shame.

Gibbs watched as Tim's emotions reacted to whatever the younger agent was thinking. After a silent minute, he pushed forward, needing to move them both along. "McGee. You're gonna have to talk to me if we're gonna catch this bastard."

With his head bowed, Tim nodded his understanding of what he was sharply being reminded of. _He was an agent first, by God. What was he doing? Gibbs was right, they needed to catch this bastard! He needed to talk to him! NO! Gibbs will only think worse of me if he hears this! He already thinks I'm the wink link in the chain!_

Raising his head back up, Tim looked the boss straight on and told him, "I don't know anything else that would help us catch him."

Gibbs looked at him for a silent, scrutinizing minute before he spoke. "If anything else comes back to you, anything else I need to know, you tell me!." his tone speaking mountains of just how much he was aware that he was letting Tim not have to talk about.

"I will, Boss." Tim returned solemnly.

Gibbs nodded his belief in his agent. "'s right, you need to focus on getting some sleep so we can get you outta here.. You'll be staying with Ducky. Ziva and Tony are gonna be there with you, watchin' your back."

"NO!" Tim argued back forcefully. He did not want Gibbs to do this alone. He could not handle it if anything were to happen to him; especially if the others were only watching Tim's back. Besides, he needed to be at work, trying to find clues as to who would want to do this to them. Nothing else was acceptable!

"Relax, McGee. This…"

The door opening interrupted whatever the boss had been attempting to say, revealing Ducky's return to Tim's room. Without wasting any time, the M.E. got straight to the point even as he cast a medically appraising eye over the patient. "Jethro, Timothy really must rest now."

The boss curbed his irritation at his long-time friend. He knew he'd clearly told the older man that he'd take care of Tim's need for rest as soon as he'd talked to him. The unusual tone with which the old coot had spoken also raised a red flag with the seasoned investigator. Not willing to hash anything out in front of his agent, Gibbs held firmly to his self-control and focused back on Tim. "Get some sleep. I'm putting a guard on the door and one of us will be here with you at all times."

Tim shook his head, but this time he looked pleadingly at his boss, willing to push his luck to get him to understand his point: "Boss. I…"

"It's not a debate, McGee!" Gibbs gruffly told him. " Now, get some sleep." He turned and walked out of the room, with an increasingly agitated M.E. on his heels. 

* * *

><p>As soon as Tim's door was closed, Gibbs rounded on the hapless older man. "What aren't you telling me, Duck?"<p>

"Jethro, we really must talk."

"I'm listening." The Team Leader growled as he glared at the M.E. while waiting rather impatiently for the older man to spill what was so important that he'd interrupted Gibbs' attempt to talk to Tim. Ducky had never done that before; always waiting until the Team Leader had finished talking to which ever team member he happened to be having such a talk with. _What was different about this?  
><em>  
>"Jethro, I do apologise for interrupting your attempt to get Timothy to open up to you, but I do have my reasons."<p>

"Better be good ones, Duck." Gibbs warned angrily.

Taken back by the angry response, Ducky narrowed his eyes and began, "He's asking about his back? The note. I think he does not remember that evil bastard sewing it on, but was reminded inadvertently by the doctor. I do not believe Timothy knows WHAT it was being sewn to him.. I'm afraid that may be the 'straw' that breaks this preverbal camel's back. I'm loath to admit it, Jethro, but I'm not quite sure what the best avenue is here."

"Damn it!"Gibbs let out some steam.

"Someone is bound to 'let it spill' about the note. He is just starting to gain his wits about him. This could shatter what progress has been made."

"He's a hell of a lot stronger than you give him credit for, Ducky. He's not made of glass. Why are you suddenly treating him like he is?" Gibbs growled, disgusted at what he was seeing as a lack of faith in his agent.

"Jethro! That is not what I was referring to and you know it!"

" I'll take care it!" Gibbs took a large, exaggerated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What else?"

"Jethro, as we have been friends for a good number of years, I believe I know you very well and I know the way you think, in most situations. Right now, I'd venture to say that you've already spoken to Timothy of keeping him safe. I'm sure you've informed him that he will be keeping his days of recovery under the watchful eye of his teammates and his evenings of rest under mine."

"What are you getting' at, Duck?" the Team Leader asked quietly. He realized that for Ducky to have acted this way; the wise man had, in all likelihood, a very good reason. Gibbs wished he'd just hurry up and spit it out, already.

"What I am getting at, my friend; is that in letting Timothy know in such irrefutable terms that you are placing his wellbeing above that of the others on your team, and yourself, I might add; you may very well be setting the stage not only for Timothy to feel deeply responsible and guilt-ridden about such a sacrifice on his account; but for him to fear for their safety and yours as well. I should also warn you that to leave Timothy alone with his thinking with this on his mind, he may very well think himself into some unwise choices of action if he believes he is doing what he must to keep the rest of you safe."

"I'm not gonna leave him unprotected, Duck. He's not gonna have the chance to do anything without thinking it through."

"As well you shouldn't, Jethro. I am not suggesting that you would. I am merely cautioning you against allowing Timothy to believe that the rest of you are not being equally protected and watched over."

Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his mind already running full-speed ahead. He knew Ducky was right. Matter-of-fact, He wasn't even happy that they'd left Tim alone suddenly, the way they had, even if they were just outside his door. Stepping back over to the door, he silently opened it a sliver to check on the young man inside; only to be brought up short by the heart-wrenching sight that met his eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

Watching the boss and Ducky leave suddenly, Tim felt numb. Unfortunately, that feeling was soon replaced with a sharp reminder of his body's need for healing, as his wounds and the pain and discomfort they had wrought delivered a stark reminder of his recent ordeal. Laying his head back against the pillow, he closed his eyes in a vain attempt to gather his thoughts and block out that pain and the damnable fear that was making a serious attempt to take over.

As with his other attempts at rest, Tim felt a nagging thought creep its way into his already cluttered mind as his eyes closed. However, he was too tired to do more than make a weak attempt to gather it before it fled. He gave his head a gentle shake and returned to his previous train of thought. He really did want to talk to Gibbs about what happened. He needed to, and not just the facts, but the motives behind it and the responsibility for it happening in the first place.

But, more important things were; well, more important. The most important thing they needed to be doing was putting the team under protective custody or at least giving them a protection detail. This bastard wasn't anyone to play around with. Slowly, his brain began to settle down, the exhaustion beginning to slip back over him as if someone was drawing a warm, summer blanket over him from his feet on up to his chest. Even as his brain registered that sleep was moving in, it welcomed it, urged it to come forward and, _oh, my God, why are my thighs on fire? _

Thankful the bed was still raised upright, Tim tried to steady his suddenly erratic breathing even while his arms, of their own accord, reached out and grasped the edges of the blanket and slowly lifting it up to see what was causing his pain. He'd heard what the doctor had told him, but apparently, it hadn't had the chance to fully register as the shock seemed to hit him anew now, as soon as his eyes took in what the doctor had been talking about. The slices into his thighs, although coated with a layer of liquid bandage, according to the nurse that had been in here earlier today; were still visible, angry, jagged, matching and very, very personal. It suddenly dawned on him, that to have done this, the bastard would have had to undress Tim; completely. The bandage on his back also spoke of that need; being placed where his shirt would have had to have been taken off completely for anything to have been done to him there. _What had been done to him there? Why hadn't anyone told him yet? But, back to his thighs, why would anyone do this? None of this was making any sense. Why no worse injury? Why no broken bones? _

Looking back down at his sharp reminders of the whole ordeal, the realization came to him. This had not been about killing him or even hurting him physically. He'd been stripped, most likely naked, and had been cut and burned repeatedly. This had been about humiliation; and it had worked. _Even the doctor must have realized that. That's why he let Ducky be the one to tell me about the burns and …_ Numbness crept back in, as Tim remained frozen in place, unaware of the tears sliding down his face, his mind frozen amidst the pain filled questions; _I remember feeling the pain of each burn and cut, why don't I remember being stripped? Is Ducky right? Did they stop before they….Or did the E.R. people miss something when they did the exam? Oh, God! This was all about humiliating me. Why? Who could hate me this much?_

* * *

><p><em>Stepping back over to the door, he silently opened it a sliver to check on the young man inside; only to be brought up short by the heart-wrenching sight that met his eyes.<em>

Gibbs eased the door closed and took a silent minute to compose himself, blinking hard to clear his vision. What he did here in regards to this situation was most important. He wasn't about to screw anything up by acting or speaking before he'd had time to process what he'd just witnessed as well as the probability of where Tim's mind had been in that moment. How he did or did not talk to Tim about this was very important. He wasn't even comfortable letting Ducky in on this. He needed to think.

* * *

><p>A blur of movement out of the corner of his eye broke the moment and Tim blinked and looked to the door, only to see a glimpse of an all too familiar silver head of hair as the door clicked shut. Wiping his surprisingly wet face on his blanket, he settled back to try to get some sleep, but found the exhaustion had been chased away by the emotional wave that had rolled back in, despite Tim's best efforts to ward it off. All he could do now was continue to fight its' attempt to overwhelm him, even as he was continuously tossed among the relentless current.<p>

* * *

><p>"Jethro?" Ducky asked in concern.<p>

The Team Leader shook his head and remained quiet.

"Jethro, Timothy will be fine once whoever did this has been caught and put behind bars where they belong."

"I know , Duck. Don't think McGee does though."

The quiet somberness of the younger man's reply gave the M.E. pause before he spoke again. When he did, it was deliberately encouraging rather than invasive questioning. "He will. Give him time. And all the support you can muster."

"Gotta find this bastard, Duck."

"Yes, you most certainly do. But do not make the grave mistake of letting this case take precedence over the safety and well being of your team. You do have a habit of doing just that and this time, I fear the cost would be too great for all of you, most especially for Timothy and yourself.." The M.E. warned soulfully.

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, Duck. I hear ya. I need to talk to McGee a minute. You need to let Tony take you home now. I'm heading home myself when Ziva gets here."

"I do not believe it is wise to leave Timothy in any further solitude with everything he will be thinking about." The M.E. advised seriously.

"He needs the chance to breathe, Duck." Gibbs reminded him quietly with a rather pointed look.

Ducky took a good look at Gibbs' expression and realized what the younger man wasn't saying. It wasn't long before he was nodding in solomn understanding. "Yes, he does, but let's not give him too much, hmm?"

"Yeah. I agree. Soon as Tony shows up, you let him take you home." The younger man replied quietly as he turned and discreetly knocked on the patient's door and waited a half minute before opening the door and stepping inside, this time finding Tim seemingly resting comfortably. Looking much more closely though, it was soon apparent that rest was not what his agent was experiencing at the moment. His breathing was irregular and harsh, his limbs tensed and his hands tightly balled into clenched fists.

Taking a quiet deep breath and slowly letting it out, Gibbs stepped further into the room, making sure to close the door quietly but completely behind him before he moved away from it and stepped up to the chair by the bed and silently took a seat in it.

"McGee. Need you to listen to me for a minute, alright?" the older man made sure his tone was calm and quiet without any overly sympathetic fluffiness that would scare the daylights out of the young man. "First off, if you're in pain, you need to let me know, I'll tell the nurse to get you something. Don't ignore it. You won't rest if you're constantly fighting the pain. Got me?"

Almost instantly, Tim seemed to shed all agitation and restlessness, calm descending on him in a startling transformation. Finally, after a short delay, he opened his eyes and sought those of his boss. "I'm fine." He said quietly.

Gibbs took a silent minute to scrutinize his agent for his own judgment on that call. While he didn't agree with Tim at all; he did decide to let the young man be about it; for now. He'd keep an eye on him but for tonight, he'd let it go. Taking another breath and slowly letting it out, he pushed forward with what he needed Tim to hear.

"Secondly, When I said Tony and Ziva were gonna be watching your back, I didn't mean for you to think they weren't goin' to be protected. You know me better than that. I've already talked to Vance. We're all getting shadows until this is over. H's pulled us off rotation until then, too."

Tim nodded to let the boss know, he did feel better about them not going out into the field until this guy had been caught. "Okay."

"Good. Now, get some sleep. Ziva's on her way and she'll be just outside the door until whoever Vance has assigned night watch gets here."

The worry Tim seemed to feel at hearing that news was plain to see. Gibbs didn't blame him. If it were him in the hospital bed, he wouldn't be happy with someone not on his team guarding him either.

"Don't worry, McGee. Between the two of us, Ziva and I'll make sure they're well aware of their duties."

The younger man shook his head. "I'm more worried about all of you! Whoever this is... he's... he's had his fun…" Tim swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at his now blanket covered legs, "I don't want … I don't want anything to happen to any of you."

Gibbs watched his agent begin to worry himself into a stressed out state; keeping his focus on the small, minute tremors in the young man's hands as they moved during Tim's conversation while his eyes stayed stubbornly downcast. Tim had spoken volumes in the quick glances as his boss spoke of their protection detail. The Team Leader had seen the glimpse of personal pain and worry the younger man was holding inside, both earlier and now in this brief conversation. Tim's awareness that he hadn't been alone when he'd let his guard down earlier was obvious.

Still Gibbs pushed them forward; having no sign that Tim was ready to talk about any of it. "McGee…"

"Boss, I get that you and Tony and Ziva can take care of yourselves. But, what about Abby? Palmer? Even Ducky could be on this maniac's list. If he can't get to you or the team, he might go after Abby or the others!" The younger man exclaimed unexpectedly. It was rare for Tim to speak out like this.

"Knock it off, McGee. We are ALL pairing up. None of us are taking any chances, alright?"

Tim nodded in silent, unhappy resignation. Sure. They'd make sure and keep each other safe from this raving lunatic. But, the realization that he'd be here without any of the team he'd learned to trust with his life, left a hole he couldn't help but feel the emptiness of. He knew the team needed sleep and needed to team up to help keep each other safe. He couldn't help it if he didn't feel safe without them there, just as much as Gibbs couldn't help not being able to handle this mess any other way than in the way he felt was right. He'd have to just go with the boss' plan and trust in it; in him.

Besides, they also wanted and needed to catch this bastard and needed time to work the case. Closing his eyes for a minute, he stomped down on all of his emotions, save two and sent the rest of them packing to the recesses of his tired mind. Opening his eyes back up, he looked at his silent boss and spoke with the first one he'd hung onto. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep and that's an order. Abby's coming by later, you'll need all the rest you can get. Her shadow will be staying out in the hall while she checks up on you. You know what that means." Gibbs smirked.

Tim smiled and nodded, realizing his plan would have to wait until after Abby left later. In the meantime, he'd need to have at least a little sleep under his belt if he was going to be successful. Laying his head back and closing his eyes, he allowed slumber to reclaim him quickly.

Breathing a sigh of relief at having gotten his message through to his agent, despite the young man's obviously multi-faceted thought process going on, Gibbs leaned back against the wall in the hallway to give himself a minute to reorganize his thoughts. Something was nagging him about Tim, moreso than the young man's injuries or even that moment of private agony he'd witnessed from Tim earlier. His gut was clenching and he couldn't quite figure out why. All he could do was put the agents posted at Tim's door on notice as to what would happen to their hides if anything so much as a pain left untreated was to happen to his agent on their watch.

"Gibbs." Ziva' s silent arrival and quiet greeting shook him from his thoughts.

"Ziva."

"Director Vance has informed me that the two agents he has assigned to watch McGee this evening will be arriving here in approximately 15 minutes." She told him seriously. "How is McGee?"

"Sleeping."

"Then I will not disturb his rest. Has he spoken to you? Tony told me he was not speaking very much at all. He seemed to believe that McGee's throat has been injured somehow; making the effort to talk painful for him."

"He didn't mention it. He told me what he needed me to hear. I'm goin' for coffee. Unless you've got something to tell me about the case?" he looked at her pointedly since she hadn't even brought it up yet.

"No, Gibbs. We have found nothing helpful."

He nodded in understanding and turned on his heel, heading for the nearest place to get coffee.

Ziva gently opened the door to Tim's room. Taking the seat by the bed that Gibbs had used earlier, she watched him as he slept; taking in his less than peaceful countenance. The bruises on his face and neck were sharp reminders of why he was in the bed to begin with. As she took relief from his deep, even breathing, she felt a surge of anger at whoever would have done this to her friend. He'd always gone out of his way to be kind to everyone he met; never deliberately pissed anyone off; either in jest or seriousness. No, McGee was not anyone who would ever have created a mess that would make this seem a logical result.

Tim felt someone watching him, studying him and it pulled him from the nearly deep slumber he'd almost reached. Opening his eyes, he searched for the last person he remembered talking to; only to find Ziva sitting in his place. As his eyes blearily connected with hers, she seemed to pull away from whatever zone she'd been caught in with her thoughts and come back to the present.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to wake you." Ziva offered quietly, a soft smile of genuine relief lighting up her face.

"S okay." Tim mumbled. "How r u?"

She smiled at his barely discernable speech. "I am fine, McGee. Please go back to sleep."

He nodded and let his eyes close back on their own and let sleep take him firmly, not fighting it at all, this time. Ziva got up and silently went back out into the hallway, to find herself face to face with an irritated Gibbs.

"I wanted to see for myself that he was….okay." she offered before he even complained.

Gibbs nodded silently and handed her the coffee he'd brought back for her. Together they sat down in the chairs outside Tim's door and waited for their relief crew to arrive, neither of them speaking into the peaceful silence; both thinking on the situation at hand that brought with it no rhyme or reason, at least, none that they'd found yet. They each nodded solomnly at the nurse they remembered seeing when McGee was brought through the ER as he headed towards the nurse's station.

Right on time, ten minutes later, the two agents scheduled to stand guard over Tim for the night, arrived quietly and with all the seriousness befitting the task ahead of them. Coming to stand before Gibbs and Ziva, they both stood almost at attention as they waited to be addressed.

Gibbs watched the two NCIS Agents as they approached Tim's room. He'd seen them around the agency for a couple of years now and felt a wave of relief roll through him at that measure of trust he was now capable of feeling. Tapping Ziva's arm, he cleared his throat and addressed the silent agents as they stood before him.

"Director Vance briefed the both of you on how important this assignment is?" Gibbs growled.

"Yes sir." They said in unison.

Gibbs frowned at the use of 'sir' then noted Ziva and her play at intimidation before she'd even said a word. _If they fidget or seem uncomfortable, she'll kick their ass and hand it to Vance on a silver platter._

"He did not say what would happen if you failed?" Ziva stepped up with a tilt of her head and a narrowing of her eyes. Hands casually clasped behind her back, the message was relayed by the almost seductive threat veiled within her question.

The taller of the two sturdy looking agents, Agent Monroe, stood his ground and stood straighter, if that was possible, "We will not fail." Everyone knew Agent Da'vid's reputation. She was very protective of her friends. Almost scary in her loyalty. There wasn't an agent in the Agency who wasn't aware of the golden rule of not crossing Agent Gibbs, either.

Agent Wilson, though a good 2 or 3 inches shorter than Agent Monroe, looked Ziva in the eye, showing no fear, "We know our orders. You can trust us to protect Agent McGee for you. We won't let anything happen to him" Looking to Gibbs, he continued, "We want this bastard just as badly as you do. We like McGee, he's good people and didn't deserve what was done to him."

Ziva nodded approvingly and stepped back. They were brave and strong, they would do.

"Vance told you everything?" Gibbs asked.

"Not all, Agent Gibbs, but enough. Don't worry, we will protect him." Agent Monroe answered him without hesitation as he looked him square in the eye.

"You'd better." Gibbs warned before turning to look at Ziva and then back at him. "No one gets through this door without a proper photo ID. You check everyone against the list of hospital employees that have been cleared. I don't care if you checked them 5 seconds ago, you check them again. That includes housekeeping, laundry and kitchen staff. Only cleared staff get through this door! You see anyone acting out of the norm, you detain them, get hospital security down here to hold them and call me! Don't take any chances. You follow?"

"We follow, Agent Gibbs." Monroe answered with a stern nod and a tight lipped straight face.

"Good." Gibbs retrieved the clipboard with the list of employees allowed entrance and perused it one last time before putting it in the chair behind him. "Take 5 to hit the head. This is one assignment where you're not getting any breaks."

Sure enough, not even a full five minutes later, both Agents were back in front of Gibbs, ready to assume their posts.

"Come on, I want Agent McGee to know who you are before we leave him in your hands."

Ziva waited at the door standing guard as Gibbs and the two Agents went inside. Moments later, Gibbs, Monroe and Wilson made their way back into the hall. The agents on guard duty each sported matching angry scowls and determined gleams in their eyes.

"Son of a bitch!" Wilson fumed quietly.

Gibbs shut the door and turned to the Agents, "You know what to do. Abby Scuito will be by later to visit . Don't let her duck her protection detail and don't let her wake McGee if he's sleeping."

Wilson and Monroe nodded, "Yes, Sir." Monroe added.

As they silently walked away Ziva felt a sense of foreboding rise up within her. She stopped, turned and looked down the hall and to the door that held her friend. _No, everything was fine. They would find clues and they will catch this person before he strikes again. Right now there was no threat. Tim was sleeping peacefully._ The halls of the hospital were growing quiet.

All was secure.


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Our apologies for the delay with this chapter._

Thank you Shelbylou - once again. Your invaluable help is greatly appreciated.

* * *

><p>True to Gibbs' prediction and Tim's expectation, Abby arrived at Tim's room two hours later, having set all of her babies to their tasks on the evidence Director Vance had managed to have handed over. Apparently, Metro was happy to have this one off their hands, since it had happened right under the nose of their least favorite agent. Bubbling over at the anticipation of seeing her best friend alive and being taken care of; Abby was in full steam ahead mode.<p>

Charming her way past the nurses, she was startled to find herself having to buck up against the agents on Tim's door. Their warnings bounced off of her; her agenda too important. Nobody was gonna keep her from seeing and talking to her Timmy! Looking rather harried; Agents Wilson and Monroe were unmoving roadblocks that stood between her and Tim. Finally, with an exasperated sigh of frustration and genuine tears glistening in her eyes, she pleaded her case.

"He's my best friend and I have to see him; touch him, know that he's okay. Please. I promise I won't wake him!" Her eyes shimmering brightly with unshed tears.

Heartstrings severely tugged at the sight of the normally unflappable Forensic Scientist this upset, Agent Wilson stepped back, opened the door and let her through, closing it behind her. No one could resist Abby Scuito when she pulled those strings. Come to think of it, they'd want to be able to see for themselves that their friend was okay after something like this.

Agent Murphy, Abby's shadow, was built like a rock, and watchful to a fault. Wilson and Monroe knew they could breathe easier with that guy on the job. Now, as they waited for her to visit with Agent McGee, they could at least talk amongst themselves and compare notes on what their assignments and their observations were. Maybe, they'd find something between the three of them, that would help answer the question of who had done this and why.

Abby gave her friend a concerned once over as he tried to reach that restful level of deep sleep he so desperately needed; only managing to shift restlessly again and again while he barely slept at all. A tear tracked its way slowly down Abby's cheek as she felt her heart breaking, no shattering into small pieces. With a slight whimper, she reached out gently only to come up short and hover just above Tim's brow, the agents' warning coming back to her.

_"__Agent Gibbs does not want anyone to disturb Agent McGee's sleep. He made it clear that whoever did, outside of his nurses and doctor, would answer to him for it."_

Tears filled her eyes anew, at the sight of that beautiful face now covered in cuts and bruises and pinched in pain. "Oh, Timmy, what did they do to you?" she softly murmured as she continued her movements and caressed his face, her fingers trailing down each of the testaments to what he'd been through. "Who would do this to you?" she asked sorrowfully, even as her fingers continued to tenderly brush down the angry bruises that had been heaped upon her best friend, as if trying to paint them away for him.

Caught up in the emotion of the moment, Abby failed to notice that her ministrations were causing Tim to flinch in his sleep. Unfocused and upset, she missed the warning signs completely and was startled when long fingers with barely any strength in them suddenly wrapped themselves around her wrist, essentially stopping her well intentioned ministrations in their tracks. "No,Stop!" Came the gravelly plea.

"Oh! Timmy!" she cried out with fear, relief and hope. You're awake!"

"Ab…by?" Tim croaked out; his voice rough, raw and low. Eyes glazed with sleep and furrowed with pain, Tim struggled to focus both his brain and his eyes, as they were still stuck half-way between the fog of sleep and the pain of wakefulness.

"Hey." Abby offered much more quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"S…alright." He managed to croak out as his hand let go of her wrist and flopped down onto the bed, suddenly boneless. Needing a minute to calm himself after being scared from his sleep this way, Tim remained silent, his eyes closing once more. Suddenly needing to ease the parched irritation in his throat, he opened his eyes and looked around him. Spying the cup sitting on the bedside table that had held ice in it earlier, his other hand came up from resting on the bed and reached out toward the relief his throat desperately needed.

"Here, let me get that for you." Abby requested as she ran around the bed and snatched up the cup, proffering several pieces of the chipped ice and gently slipping them between his lips for him to suck on.

Taking a silent minute to savor the soothing, chilled wetness his dry mouth and raw throat were desperate for, he finally offered her a small smile of thanks once the ice had completely melted in his mouth.

Reaching out once more, Tim pressed the button on his bed to raise it back up. _Funny, he could have sworn he'd left the bed in the upright position when he'd allowed himself to fall asleep? Apparently, someone had thought better of that idea while he was out of it._

Now sitting upright, Tim struggled to ride out the fresh onslaught of pain and dizziness that rode in with his changing his position. Holding out his hand, he waited expectantly for Abby to hand him his cup of ice chips. He experienced a moment of surprise when she smirked at him instead and gently swatted his hand down towards his bed and set the cup back down out of his reach.

"No, Timmy. Let me do this for you. You just relax. You're supposed to be sleeping as it is. Gibbs' is gonna be a bear when he finds out I woke you up." As she spoke, she lifted out several more chips of ice and fed them to Tim, who while accepting them without a fight; was mentally struggling with this coddling side of Abby.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it or love her for it; but, rather, that it was just so polar opposite of where their unusual relationship was usually operating. He recognized her need to do this for him, just as much as he recognized his own internal need to get off his butt and get back into the game; figure out who had done this and why. Still, he couldn't fault her for needing or wanting to do this for him, so he kept his thoughts to himself and submitted complacently to her caretaking efforts.

After feeding Tim a good dozen pieces of ice; all the while not hearing a peep out of him or even getting to see him look her straight in the eye; Abby was more than ready to break through the awful silence that had descended on the room; settling down around them like a suffocating cloud, leaving her nearly choking with the need for fresh air.

"What's going on in that computer brain of yours, McGee. Why aren't you talking?" Seeing McGee raise an eyebrow in a response, " I mean I realize your throat probably hurts, but can't you at least tell me if you're alright?"

Tim worked on answering Abby's question with gestures that spoke of his sore throat as well as his appreciation for her efforts, then he opened his arms for her; waiting for her to let him hug her. Abby hesitated. Shoving the moment of hurt away, Tim gestured once more for Abby to let him comfort her; with the end result being just as he'd hoped; Abby enfolded into his embrace. She was quiet and somber; but she was there.

After allowing herself to be comforted by the one who could always soothe her, Abby stepped back, picked Tim's cup of ice back up, smiled at him and handed it to him; now ready to let him do what he could for himself. At the same time; she was also ready to ask some hard questions; hungry for the answers.

"What happened Timmy?" she asked gently.

Tim stared at her for a long silent minute. About the time Abby was ready to ask him what he was thinking, Tim spoke up, his voice raspy and raw, but his concise wording got his point across. "Get Agent Monroe, please."

Abby frowned slightly, got up and headed toward the door, unwilling to make things hard for him, even if she didn't understand what was going on.

"Abby, wait outside, please." He tried to ease the bite in his words, but with the gruffness it sounded more like a 'Gibbs' bark' than a gentle request making him wince at the hurt that flashed across his friend's face.

Feeling like she'd just been sucker-punched, Abby stepped out into the hallway and sent the requested agent in to Tim.

* * *

><p>Agent Monroe hurried to Tim's bed to see what was the problem. "Agent McGee, you alright?"<p>

Tim nodded and handed him the note he'd quickly scrawled out as Abby had been walking out. Keeping eye contact with the agent, Tim waited for the man to read what was written there

_I need some clothes._

Agent Monroe looked up at Tim. "No, Agent McGee. We can't do this. Look. We've been assigned to protect you, to guard your door, not sit back and help you escape."

Tim's eyebrows shot up. _Escape? What; was he a prisoner now? _Rapidly becoming frustrated, Tim fought to think of the words he needed to get his point across without seriously putting his throat through any more trauma. Mentally grinning when the answer came to him, Tim cleared his throat and took his chances with his ability to speak once more

"With or without your help." The raspy growl putting more force into his statement.

Now it was Agent Monroe's eyebrows that marched up to the hairline above them. He tried to out glare the patient, but found himself to be no match for the one who'd learned well from the Master Agent Gibbs. Finally, Agent Monroe conceded since Tim showed no signs of backing down. "Alright, but I'm conferring with Agent Gibbs first."

"NO!" Tim barked out, ignoring the intense scratching pain in his throat. This point of agreement was just too important to remain silent about it.

"Agent McGee! I have str…"

Tim put his hand up to halt the other man's argument. " I need to get back to NCIS. Need to look through our old cases and find who did this. Can't do that here." Tim looked at him pointedly.

Agent Monroe thought about it for a minute and realized Tim was right. He still didn't like it, but he certainly understood it. "Alright. But, I'm still gonna ca…"

"NO! No one is waking Gibbs up." Tim declared as firmly as his injured throat would allow.

"Don't think for a minute that you're leaving here without us." Monroe warned.

"I know." Tim answered calmly. "Now, can I ask you a favor, please?"

* * *

><p>Abby was fuming. Smoke was beginning to come from her ears. <em>What the hell was the meaning of Tim kicking her out of his room like that? And what the hell was going on in there? <em>Agents Murphy and Wilson were eerily silent, as though neither knew what to say to her. But, her patience was wearing thin and she was getting ready to start letting somebody have a piece of her mind; preferably these two mutes who just happened to be hulks that oozed protection. Before she could follow through on that thought, Tim's door opened back up and Agent Monroe stepped back out, holding out a piece of paper in Abby's direction.

"Ms Scuito, Agent McGee is in the head and he asked me to give this to you. His throat's raw and seriously irritated and he doesn't want to use it anymore until it's had time to rest."

Abby looked at the agent incredulously. _Was he serious? Did he think she was just gonna buy that lame attempt to drive her away?_

Pointing to the note, the agent stood his ground. Abby glared at him again and snapped the note open and began to read what Tim had written there; her jaw nearly hitting the floor at what he had to say.

* * *

><p>Gibbs stared at the ceiling, needing to sleep; but unable to shut his restless mind off long enough to let slumber through the door. Even as exhaustion clawed at his physical body; his thoughts screamed at him; keeping him further from sleep than he'd been in a very long time. The struggle between the two was exhausting in itself and the nagging feeling in his gut, regarding Tim certainly wasn't helping.<p>

Suddenly, he remembered what it was that was bothering him. The craziness and onslaught of emotions that it had brought with it, had so seriously knocked the Team Leader for a loop, that for the first time in a very long time, he'd broken a promise. To make matters worse, he'd broken the promise to his own agent.

_One of us will be here with you at all times._

In the aftermath of sorting things out, hearing what had been done to his agent and trying to move things in the direction they needed to go, he'd contradicted himself, broken that promise without even a second thought, barely noticing that Tim had gone silent when the talk of keeping the team safe had come up.

_Ziva's on her way and she'll be just outside the door until whoever Vance has assigned night watch gets here._

Having his agent taken against his will, beaten and unceremoniously dumped out on the street in front of his house as a message to him had seriously rattled Gibbs enough that he'd not only allowed his surge of anger to run lose for a while, but he'd also become so turned around that he'd lost sight of this serious contradiction between promise and plan of action, a rare occurrence for him. It was time to set things to rights, in more ways than one.

No longer even remotely tired, he got up, showered, changed and through his first cup of fresh coffee, with his second in his hand before thirty minutes had gone by. Snatching up everything he needed for the day, he was soon out the door, headed where he should have been all along.

* * *

><p>Tony tossed and turned, grateful that Ducky had managed to fall asleep almost as soon as he'd gone to bed, according to the first time the agent had checked on the M.E. a short 30 minutes later. He couldn't get the sight of Tim's pained expression from earlier tonight, out of his mind. On top of that was the boss' soft tone of voice and deliberate change of subject when Tony had asked how his partner was doing and what had been done to him.<p>

He breathed out another sigh of frustration. For some reason, he wasn't able to shake the memory of feeling desperate to see for himself that his probie was alive and well; of slipping away from the others, in direct violation of his boss' orders to find Tim's room; of sitting in the chair by his probie's bed with unbridled anger and the thirst for vengeance for the way this peaceful, non-confrontational friend had been used rolling though him in waves. The memory flooded his mind of him planting himself in that chair, of watching Tim sleep; of willing him to wake up and be okay; of slipping into the bathroom because he suddenly couldn't stop the bile from rising up from within him at the detailed images of what Tim had to have gone through, flared up behind his eyes.

Suddenly, the thought of his being here in this comfortable bed with sleep sweetly beckoning to him, sent a flare of guilt and anger through him enough that he surged upright and nearly jumped up off Ducky's couch. THIS wasn't where he was supposed to be! His friend and teammate needed him! Throwing his clothes on, he snatched up what he needed and headed out of the room.

* * *

><p>Ziva sat up in bed, driven from sleep by the intense feeling that something was wrong with someone she felt close to. Coupled with the uneasy feeling she'd had all day and it wasn't long before she found herself sitting on her couch with a hot cup of soothing tea to try to ease her worry and take away her tension.<p>

She hated this feeling. Ziva felt almost helpless. But, she realized; it was that fine line between almost and actual that provided the spark she needed. Suddently, she was up off her butt and throwing some clothes on. She could do something about what was or wasn't' happening. They had a perp to locate and capture. Quickly she snatched up her necessary items and headed out; her shadow reluctantly keeping up with her since she'd made sure he had a good hot cup of coffee under his belt and a second one to take with him.

* * *

><p>Abby marched back to her lab; Agent Monroe on her six, and double-checked her babies for their news. She was irate; she was annoyed, she was fed up and she was bone tired. <em>How dare McGee treat her like this! Who did he think he was to order her to go <em>_home like that__? What the hell was wrong with him?_

She was slightly more discouraged that none of them had any results for her as of yet. That sentiment seemed to herald the exhaustion that had been calling her name for hours now. Knowing she had time, Abby glanced at her shadow and informed him she was going to cat nap on her futon mattress in her inner office until her machines called her.

He offered a small smile of understanding, remained silent and remained at his post, standing watch just inside her lab door where he had a clear view of the hallway as well as the window in her lab. It was his job to protect her tonight and as far as he was concerned, his job wasn't over until the bastard who'd attacked this agent and the agency this way, had been caught.

* * *

><p>It had taken every ounce of strength he had; every step an exercise in agonized breathing from his beaten chest and nose; as well as his other injuries that he was steadfastly refusing to think about. He was on a mission and nothing was gonna stop him from completing that mission. He'd pissed off his doctor and the entire floor of nurses, commandeered their silence, endured the physical pain of the walk to the car, having refused the humiliation and attention calling wheelchair. He'd also made it through the confining trip to the Navy Yard, thankful for his protection detail's driving and silent support in his decision. The additional strain of the walk to the building and then to the elevator nearly did him in; but he'd done it under his own steam, limited as it was.<p>

Maybe now, he could get some work done. Maybe now, he could find who'd done this to him. Settling into his own desk chair and powering up his computer, Tim McGee breathed a sigh of relief. He was right where he was supposed to be and he would solve the mystery of who had done this to him if it took everything he had to give.


	7. Chapter 6

"Still don't understand why you had to deprive yourself of a good night's sleep, Ducky." Tony objected as the M.E. sat quietly in the passenger seat of the car. Tony's hands gripped the steering wheel, white with tension as he imagined the reaming out he'd be getting from the boss for this. He was supposed to be watching out for Ducky until they caught whoever had kidnapped, beaten and maybe even tortured, as far as Tony imagined; his teammate. Tim McGee hadn't said a word to Tony about what they'd done to him. So, the older of the two agents was left to an uncontrolled imagination running wild on possibilities and with the boss and the M.E. being very hush, hush about it, the direction of that imagination had become very unsavory, indeed. This was only serving to send Tony's anger and restlessness through the roof, making him jumpy at best.

"Anthony, since you are charged with being my watchdog until this whole horrid mess is over, it was much simpler for me to accompany you. I am perfectly fine." Ducky replied soothingly.

"Try tellin' that to Gibbs." Tony muttered half under his breath as he parked the car and stepped out so he could continue to guard the M.E.

It was a moment of silence as Ducky got out of the car and walked over to the younger man. Finally, the M.E. responded. "Don not worry, Anthony. I most certainly will tell Jethro as much." Ducky assured him firmly.

"Tell me what, Duck? What the hell are you two doing here at this hour?" Gibbs rounded the car from behind them and demanded to know.

"Oh, Jethro! I see you could not sleep either. Just as well, we can all go check on young Timothy's progress. I am sure he'll be most happy to know that we have not abandoned him after all. I shall endeavor to get an update from the night shift on how he is faring." The M.E. stated calmly as he marched on ahead into the hospital; leaving behind two silent agents in an atmosphere that was tinged with the guilt that came with Ducky's declaration; rather than anger that anyone was awake at this time of night.

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief as he trudged along beside his now silent boss. Their walk into the hospital was thankfully just as silent, as both had lots on their mind. Even the elevator ride up to Tim's floor was completed in silence. That silence turned eerie as they reached the nurse's station in Tim's section. Ducky was looking decidedly unhappy and the nurses weren't looking any happier themselves.

"What's going on, Duck?" Gibbs asked firmly.

"It seems that Timothy has checked himself out AMA, Jethro." Ducky sadly informed him.

"What?" the Team Leader's bark left no doubt he was angry at the news..

"Why?" Tony stood at Gibbs' shoulder glaring at everyone who happened to look his way, equally pissed at this turn of events. "And why didn't you call one of us?"

"Agent Gibbs? Agent DiNozzo?" the new voice turned their attention off the harried nurse and onto the Doctor in scrubs who'd just called them by name. "Agent McGee left strict instructions that you were not to be woken up just so he could return to work. He promised me that he was going straight to his job and would be sitting down at a desk; not doing anything strenuous, by any means."

"And you just let him go?" Tony demanded.

"Agent DiNozzo. It is not within my power to deny a patient his right to check out AMA. I did, however, strongly advise him to get to his own doctor later today and remain under his advisement and care. I also advised him to stay with someone for the remainder of the week; just until he's back on his feet."

"The agents guarding his door?" Gibbs demanded.

"They drove him where he was wanting to go, I promise you that. They stuck to him like glue." The head nurse threw in there with complete seriousness. "And they weren't happy about his decisions, either."

"As in more than one?" Tony questioned.

"Yes, Sir. They wanted to discuss his determination to go back to his job with you, Agent Gibbs, but Agent McGee was quite adamant that you were not to be disturbed. He said he wasn't trying to hide his decision from you; just that he refused to let you lose sleep over it."

"Hmm." the Team Leader grumbled. "Anything else?" Gibbs' tone didn't hide his displeasure but it had no more anger in it. He couldn't fault the man for his reasons behind his actions or the nurses either.

"No, Sir."

"Talk to me, Ducky"

"It is my understanding, Jethro that Timothy was not sleeping very restfully. It is quite possible that he felt the need to be doing something useful in solving the mystery of who it is that did this to him." The M.E. reasoned in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "Whatever the case may be, gentlemen, the worst thing we can do is berate him for it. We must support him through this." Ducky looked at Gibbs pointedly, reminding him that he wasn't just referring to the case or even just Tim's physical injuries.

Looking back at his friend, Gibbs understood the M.E.'s unspoken message. Not only that, he agreed with it. He wouldn't berate the agent. But that didn't mean he wouldn't talk to him. Silently, he nodded in agreement. They would need to see Tim in person before they could possibly know what was going through the young man's mind and where to go from here on this subject.

Tony watched the older two men have a silent and obviously private conversation and the questions in his head multiplied, but still, he kept quiet. He'd been bothered by the silence on this case, especially given that it was Tim they were talking about here. The more they remained tightlipped, the worse Tony's mind imagined Tim had gone through. And about the utmost worst he could imagine was… _Oh, dear God! No! Don't tell me probie was…No!..." _

Without another word, Tony turned and stalked down the hall and got back on the elevator. He needed air. But, even more than that, he needed to punch something.

* * *

><p>Ziva entered the squad room almost in a state of distraction since her thoughts were pulling her in several different directions. That distraction dissipated when she noticed the squad room was not empty. "McGee?" she asked in complete shock. Dropping her backpack, she walked to his desk. "Why are you here? Are you alright enough to be here?"<p>

Tim blinked, coming back to the here and now, looked up at the sound of Ziva's voice and smiled softly. "Hey, Ziva. I'm okay. Why are you here at this hour? It's not even 2 in the morning. You should be home in bed asleep."

"I am here because I could not sleep. We have to find who did this to you and staying at home doing nothing while I can not sleep is not accomplishing anything." She answered firmly.

Tim breathed out a sigh borne of exhaustion and emotional overload. "Yeah. Same here."

"So, you were not sleeping in your hospital room at all?" she questioned.

Tim looked down at his desk. Sure, he'd been sleeping; but it was restless and full of the instant replays of what that bastard had done and said to him and he wasn't that much of a glutton for punishment to just continue to lay there and suffer through it.

"McGee?"

"Not restfully." He admitted quietly. He turned to his computer and got back to his search. There was something he was missing, he just knew it. There was a key piece to this puzzle somewhere, he just had to pull it out of his head to put it use.

Ziva looked at him as he turned back to his work. He didn't look well at all. He was covered in sweat, his hands were shaking, his eyes were several shades less than bright and his face was pinched with pain. Looking harder, she even noticed he was trembling. The look in his eyes just now had been hearbreaking; no longer shining, it hadn't been hard to see the wealth of mixed emotions residing there and coloring the tone of his voice to match. Taking a deep breath drenched in anger, she looked around for his protection detail; finding them , thankfully, still on duty , one of them steadfastly standing watch from the edge of the squad room by Gibbs' desk while the other sat perched on the window sill by the stairs to the Director's Office.

Launching herself to her feet, she headed in the direction of the agent closest to her.

"Ziva." Tim called out somewhat quietly, without even looking at her.

"Yes, McGee?" she stopped and looked at him.

Turning in his chair, he looked her straight on. "Let it go. Please. They're doing their job and I'm doing mine." He watched her as she thought through his request.

She watched him as he waited for her answer. His eyes were begging her to let him do this his way. They were still full of something she couldn't quite fathom and that spoke volumes of his efforts to keep going. It was obvious he was not putting his health first and that bothered her, but there was little she could do about that. He was safe here and even with that safety net around him, his protection detail was still doing their jobs. She could find no fault with that. "All right. But, I can not guarantee Gibbs will be so understanding about this. Ducky, either." She warned. "I am not even sure Tony will be too happy."

"No, I'm sure they won't be. But, thank you." Tim replied with a small smile. He turned back to his work.

"McGee. Since you are safe here and you are with me, now. I believe your protection detail and mine as well, can go home." She suggested.

"They won't go until Gibbs or Vance tells them to. Not that I blame them, I wouldn't take that chance either. But, they're more than welcome to go take a break." Tim replied as he looked up at first one of the agents and then the other.

Nodding slightly, all three agents left the squad room to take a long overdue break.

"McGee. How long have you been here?" Ziva asked him as she returned to her desk and sat down behind it.

"I'm not sure. Couple of hours, I guess." He answered calmly as if they had been talking about the weather.

"What is it you are doing?" she asked with genuine interest.

"Documenting. Searching for clues." He answered quietly, not willing to answer that with too many details.

"Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Thank you, but no. I got it." Again, the edge to his voice even as he attempted to respond in a way she would know he was appreciative of her efforts, spoke of what he wasn't sharing.

"Just what is it that you 'got', McGee?" came the angry voice of one very not happy Leroy Jethro Gibbs. While he'd promised Ducky he'd save his reaction for when he saw Tim in person; he couldn't stop the anger from escaping at the sight of his definitely not well agent. Hearing the conversation between him and Ziva had tampered with the heat of his anger, but had not completely doused it.

Tim felt his heart stop. He had known this would be coming, but still he'd remained determined to carry on. He'd had plenty of time to think on this and he already knew that whoever had done this was on a personal vendetta; which meant that only Tim would be able to figure out who he'd pissed off and hopefully would be able to remember how, when, where and why. Seeing an extremely upset M.E. descending on him along with Gibbs, almost in stealth mode, Tim felt the weight of his anger as well. Ducky's silence was unnerving to say the least.

"While I am most displeased by this, Timothy, I do understand it. However, I insist you allow me to check your vitals, at the very least. Do come down to my office, won't you?" Ducky finally spoke as he stopped in front of Tim's desk, his eyes boring holes into Tim's.

"Thank you, Ducky, but I…" Tim stopped, tripped up by his lack of strength or energy to move.

"But, what, young man? Surely you do not mean to…" the M.E. misunderstood Tim's hesitation which only made things worse and made Tim feel twice as bad.

"Ducky." Gibbs bit out sharply as he strode over to the M.E. and whispered calmly in his ear as his anger left him and concern took its' place. "Look at him, Duck. He can barely sit up. Don't think he could handle walking down to your office right about now."

"Ah, yes. I do apologise, Timothy. Let me retrieve my medical bag and I will return to do a cursory look and see how you really are doing." The M.E. bustled from the squad room and took the elevator down

Tim seemed to literally sag in his chair at the M.E.'s departure. Feeling wrung out and exhausted, he didn't even pick up on the anger and concern that was mixed together in his teammates as they stood around him waiting for him to explain his choice to check out of the hospital and come back to work.

Finally, Tim realized someone was missing. "Is Tony alright?" he questioned with the ummistakable traces of worry in his tone.

"He's fine, why?" Gibbs asked.

"When was the last time anyone saw him? Normally, he'd be right here with you guys. Have you checked on him lately?" Tim pushed, in a rare moment of assertiveness.

"No, need, Probie. Here I am." Tony replied from seemingly out of nowhere as he rounded the corner from the stairs and sidled up to his own desk and settled down in his chair. "Although, I would love to hear why it is that you are here."

"Got work to do to find this guy." Tim's voice had taken on an edge that none of them recognized but were aware they'd just heard it from him a short few moments ago as well, which did nothing to make them feel better on his behalf.

Seeing Tim return his attention to what he was doing and apparently almost ignoring the boss, worried Tony even more than he already was. He found himself watching Tim, even though he could only see the younger man's back. He noticed his teammate's posture wasn't anything close to normal, slouching was a generous term for it and the knowledge that Tim was here to push himself to find whoever had done this despite the night he'd just been through, only served as a sharper reminder of what their focus was.

Still, something needed to be said. Getting up out of his chair, Tony walked over to stand in front of Tim's desk. "Hey, Probie. What can we do to help you figure out who this is?" he asked him quietly.

As he continued to insert search perameters into his document, Tim wouldn't look at any of them. Letting out a huge sigh, he finally answered his teammate's question that had the ummistakable boatload of concern within it. "Nothing, Tony. There's nothing you can do. I appreciate you asking though."

Tony was still reeling from what he believed to be the truth of what Tim had experienced at the hands of the bastard who'd kidnapped him and so he had one question he felt needed to be answered now to test the waters, so to speak, on what his imagination had filled in the blanks with. Besides, it seemed as though Tim needed a hand out of the pit he was on the verge of falling into. "Probie, why is it you think we can't help you with this? We solve cases like this every day, don't we?

Tim's eyes snapped over to him almost instantly, the anger almost jumping off of him, Surprisingly enough, the younger man remained speechless and actually hung his head and lost even more of the battle to stay upright in his chair at this point as he listed to the side, the confines of the chair arms literally holding him in place.

"Ziva. Tony, go check on Abby. Make sure she's alright. Find out why the hell she's still here. " Gibbs ordered without turning his attention from his youngest agent.

As his other two agents vacated the squad room, Gibbs walked up to Tim's desk and gently took his agent by the arm. "Hey. Can you sit up at all?"

"Yeah, Boss. Sorry. I'll be fine. I just need to…" Tim began to answer as he tried to work with Gibbs' help to sit back up straight. He was soon interrupted.

"What you need to do, McGee, is stop pushing yourself and let Ducky make sure you're all right. Then you need to get some sleep and not at your desk." The boss ordered as he got Tim resettled in his chair. The strain on his agent's face said more of the struggle it was continuing to be than any words could have.

"No, Boss, I can't I need to find…." Tim shook his head in denial of the boss' orders.

"Yeah, McGee, we do need to find who did this. So, tell me why you would tell Tony that they can't help you figure it out." Gibbs asked calmly in a rare show of patience and compassion on Tim's behalf.

Tim looked at his boss full on. "It was personal. We both know that." He reminded the man in a quiet voice that came close to breaking. Unable to maintain eye contact at that admission, Tim dropped his eyes, closing them in exhaustion and pain. Having to speak of the personal nature of the attack on his person, had brought the emotional reaction back with it and as much as he hated it, it was hard to put it away this time.

Gibbs watched Tim struggle to stay afloat amidst the crap this attack and talking about it was submersing him in and had to give the kid credit. He was doing a hell of a job keeping it together. But, that didn't change the fact that the boss was pissed at Tim for disregarding his health the way he had.

"Don't ever check out AMA again. You understand me?" the quiet yet firm order brought a ghost of a smile to the young man's face.

It was nice to see that the boss cared enough to get angry at him for it. "I promise I'll talk to you before I do." Was the quiet and shocking compromise he got in return. The bigger surprise was Tim's eyes that came back to Gibbs', looking him straight on, daring him to deny him the right to that decision.

With a soft chuckle, Gibbs nodded. "Fair enough." He stood back up, his eyes meeting Ducky's from where the M.E. had silently been standing, waiting for the two agents to get done talking. "He's all yours, Duck. I'm goin' for coffee. McGee, you do as Ducky tells ya, no argument!"

Watching the boss walk out of the squad room, Tim let out a sigh of relief. He thought sure he was gonna get yelled at something fierce and it hadn't happened. Looking at the M.E. now, as the older man approached him, he could only smile. That smile turned to a frown as he remembered what ungodly hour it was. "Ducky, I'm really sorry they got you up out of bed like this." Tim was horrified.

"Nonsense, dear boy. Our Anthony was quite unwilling to remain resting on his laurels while there is a slimy bastard such as the one who did this to you, on the loose. And since he and I are 'buddies' for the duration of this matter, there is nothing else that needs to be said on the subject." Ducky replied calmly. "Now, let's see how you're really doing shall we?"

* * *

><p>Tony and Ziva smiled at the sight of Abby sleeping soundly on her futon in her inner office. Her watchdog, Agent Murphy was still as vigilant as ever and it was only Tony and Ziva's joint assurance that they would relieve him for a few minutes that allowed him the freedom to accept the chance to take a break they were pushing on him.<p>

Left alone in Abby's lab, they found themselves not wanting to talk for fear of waking the exhausted woman who had finally found sleep. Looking at her instruments, it was clear that the results weren't available yet. There hadn't been much evidence to go on; just Tim's clothes and whatever fingerprints Abby could get off them and off Tim's skin. But, there hadn't been any fingerprints found other than Tim's. So, whoever had done this must have worn gloves. It was the only explanation of how they could have gotten Tim out of the car and onto Gibbs' lawn without leaving fingerprints.

Which left Tony wondering about the car. None of Gibbs' neighbors had been awake at that hour and the bastards behind this had been fairly quick and nearly silent about it; the only noise had been the car door slamming and the tires peeling, when they were done and almost completely out of sight. _Tires peeling!_ Looking at Abby's computer, Tony could see she was already running the search through her databases for the match to the tire marks left in the street outside Gibbs' house.

"We need to talk to Tim." Tony said quietly as Agent Malone came back to take up his post as Abby's guard. "Don't tell her we're here. Let her rest." Tony requested as he and Ziva headed out, back to the squad room

"Ah, Anthony, I need your help, if you please. We need to get Timothy to the conference room that has the long couch in it. Would you help us, please?" Ducky asked by way of a greeting when Tony and Ziva returned to the squad room.

"Sure, Ducky. We'll help get him there. C'mon, Probie. Up and Adam." Tony quipped.

Tim offered an exhausted small smile as he stood with the help of his friends and teammates and returning Security detail who silently joined in the effort. Slowly they trudged their way to the elevator , boarded the thing, and then got off it and made their way to the conference room they sought. It seemed to take them forever and in fact did take them a good twenty minutes to accomplish the task; but were happy with the results.

Stepping back from the sofa, they had to smile at the already sleeping agent, gripping the extra pillow they'd given him like he would a teddy bear, if he'd been a child.


	8. Chapter 7

Gibbs returned to the squad room to the sight of a mass exodus of sorts underway, as Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and Agent Monroe, all trekked toward his desk, after descending the stairs together. As the group of them stopped in front of his desk, the Team Leader could only raise his eyebrows in silent question of what was going on.

"Ah, Jethro, good news, my friend. We've just been successful in getting Timothy to lie down and get some much-needed sleep up in Conference Room 3. Agent Wilson is with him." Ducky informed him cheerfully.

Gibbs nodded his understanding silently. His agent was all right, then. If he weren't, the M.E. would have said so by now. Turning his attention to his other two team members, he dug for the other answers he needed. "You two have something to tell me?"

Tony and Ziva looked at each other quizzically, without uttering a sound; until they both felt the head slap connect with the back of their heads, that is.

"Ow, Boss?"

"Gibbs, what…?"

"Abby?" Gibbs supplied angrily since he hated having to speak on something more than once.

Shaking off the unexpected trademark discipline, Ziva was the first to speak. "Gibbs, she was sleeping when we went down to her lab to talk with her. We did not feel it wise to wake her."

"So, you talked to Malone." The boss reasoned out as if it was a matter of common sense for them to think to talk to Abby's body guard when they couldn't speak to her."

"Sorry, Boss. We got distracted looking at her computer's search for a tire match." Tony offered in such a subdued tone that everyone turned to look at him. "We came back up here to talk to Tim about the car; thought he might have remembered something and…."

"And I promptly put them to work helping me get Timothy upstairs and settled onto the couch in the room so he could get some sleep." Ducky added apologetically.

Again, Gibbs nodded. Tony's super quiet demeanor had thrown him for a loop. Tim's incessant worry over Tony a little bit ago came back to the forefront of his mind now and added to something worrisome.

"Tony, you and Ziva go back down to Abby's lab and find out what you can from Agent Malone. Then tell him he can go home. One of you stays with Abby."

As his two agents headed out of the squad room, Ziva looked worriedly at her partner. "Tony, I am surprised that you did not crack a joke about McGee looking like a small child with his teddy bear when he clutched that pillow so." She voiced.

"Not really funny, Ziva." Tony answered seriously, his face a study in dark emotional turmoil.

Exchanging worried looks with the M.E. , Gibbs then turned to Agent Monroe after Tony and Ziva had left the room. "McGee say anything to either of you tonight?"

"No, Sir. Only that he needed to come here and look through case files to find who had done this and that no one was waking you up over that choice. His throat was really hurting him after he spoke that much so I wasn't surprised by his silence after that."

"What do you know about why Abby's here?"

"Agent McGee wrote her a note; asking her to go home and get some sleep. I gave it to her for him. I have no idea why she's here, Sir."

"How did Timothy manage to check out of the hospital and get himself here, might I ask?" Ducky wondered.

"He asked me to help him get dressed. Then he insisted that he could walk; with help, down to the elevators on his floor. I made him sit with Agent Wilson while I ran out, got the car, and pulled it up to the front door so he wouldn't have to walk far. Then I drove him straight here and we both helped him up to his desk."

"It's no wonder the poor boy's exhausted." Ducky mused sadly.

"Agent Monroe, I don't have to tell you that whatever you saw or heard from Agent McGee and this entire case doesn't get told to anyone, do I?" Gibbs asked him sternly as he looked him straight on.

"No, Sir. You don't."

"Good. Why don't you go get Wilson and the two of you call it a night. Get some rest."

"Sir, if I may?" The man obviously had something to ask.

"Go on."

"Agent McGee was real careful getting up out of his hospital bed, but the bandage on his back still came loose. I had to reapply it for him. When I was helping him get dressed, I couldn't help but notice his other injuries as well. I just wanted you to know that I understand exactly what you're asking here and you have my word. No one will ever hear of any of this from me. And I will do whatever you need me to do to help you catch whoever did this."

"Thank you. Go on, you and your partners go get some sleep." Gibbs answered. Waiting until the young man had departed for the stairs to retrieve his partner from the conference room, he remained silently watchful.

"Jethro, I think I will go check on Anthony. I am worried about the lad. He seems extremely upset about this whole unfortunate incident, more so than what I would have normally expected him to be." The M.E. offered as he turned to leave the squad room.

"Not having all the pieces of the puzzle tends to do that to him, Duck. This is one of those times, he's not gonna have them all. Nothin' we can do about that."

"Yes, well, I'm certain there has to be something we can do to ease the young man's brewing mass of unanswered questions without crossing into Timothy's right to dignity and privacy. I should hate to find ourselves with an Anthony who has sought answers in the wrong places of purged himself of his anger in a destructive way. I shall keep you advised of what I find out." Ducky said firmly.

"Thanks, Duck."

Left alone, Gibbs dropped back down into his chair. As his brain began to go through the events of the day, he hit upon the realization that Tim had been here for several hours. Looking thoughtfully over at the younger man's desk, he got up and took steps towards it in search of what he'd been doing while he'd been here, but the memory of Tim's amused grin the last time he was called upon to show the boss how to set up any kind of contained search for specific information stopped him in his tracks. Sparing a small smile as his brains focused on the subject for a moment longer, Gibbs changed gears with a strong reminder to himself that he needed to uphold Tim's trust not violate it by being impatient and checking up on him like this would have been anyway.

Mentally head slapping himself for leaving Tim alone to deal with what was undoubtedly bound to be troubled sleep at best, Gibbs bolted for the stairs and double-timed his way to the conference room he needed to get to. Just as he suspected, Tim's cries already echoed down the hall.

**"NO! Stop! Please! No! Didn't mean….dis…respect… No!….**

As Gibbs quickly opened the door, the sight of his already injured agent, now crumpled on the floor, like a rag doll, tossing and turning in agitation, met him. Immediately, the Team Leader reached out to try to get to his agent through the nightmare he was stuck in. Placing his hands on his arm, he threw his voice in an effort to be heard amidst Tim's cries.

**"Tim! C'mon, Wake up. You're alright now."**

**"NO!"** Tim yelled as he recoiled from Gibbs' touch, scrambling back away from him, into the corner of the room. As soon as his back touched the wall behind him, Tim sat up, wrapped his arms around his drawn up knees and put his head down on his lap, now silent but still troubled with his breathing ragged and loud.

Not sure if Tim was still in the midst of his harrowing dream or not, Gibbs went with the decision to be silently patient and wait until the young man had time to calm down. His patience was soon rewarded as Tim raised his head back up and looked around. It wasn't long before the younger man realized Gibbs was there with him and with that realization came an abrupt change in demeanor, from temporarily calm to nervous and embarrassed.

Feeling like an idiot for sitting on the floor, in the corner no less, Tim was quick to attempt to get to his feet, but to no avail. His body protested in full force, wringing forth a gasp for air as pain lanced through him in too many places to keep track of at once.

"Calm down, McGee. Take it slow. Let me help you, alright?" The gentle words helped restore Tim's sense of being safe and he found himself doing just as Gibbs requested, actually letting the older man do most of the work to get him off the floor and sitting back down on the couch.

"What happened?" Tim asked nervously.

"You tell me, McGee. I came in here and found you on the floor. I tried to wake you and you couldn't get away from me fast enough. You alright now?"

"I….the floor….away… you… Oh, no, Boss, did I hurt you?" Tim asked in horror as his brain struggled to put the pieces together of what had to have happened.

"No, McGee, you didn't hurt me. You alright now?"

Tim swallowed hard. He was far from alright and he knew it. But, he also knew how things on this team worked. Alright was the only acceptable way to be; regardless of what crap was surrounding you. There wasn't any room on this team for not 'alright'. Knowing he needed to look his boss in the eye before he'd be taken seriously, he did just that; for a brief second, before dropping his eyes to the floor at his feet. "I'm fine." He offered in that same quiet voice.

* * *

><p>Finding Tony in Abby's lab, staring at the computer monitor as it continued to scan for a tire print match, Ducky looked at him for a long silent minute, trying to get a handle on what the young man might be struggling with more than anything else. Something had set this man into a pit of despair that he seemed to be stuck in. Surprisingly, it wasn't anger radiating off the young man, but sorrow and guilt. Although what Tony would have to feel guilty about was anyone's guess, the sorrow was a bit of surprise.<p>

Still Ducky wanted to dig a little and offer Tony the chance to talk things through rather than simply let them fester and become cancerous for the young man. Seeing Ziva sitting in Abby's inner office, watching over her, left Ducky the option of keeping this conversation low keyed so as to not disturb them. Walking up to the young man where he'd be sure to see him, Ducky made sure he wasn't completely startling him.

"Oh, hey, Ducky. Something I can do for you?" Tony asked in that still too quiet tone.

"Actually, Anthony, there _is_ something you can do for me. I'd very much appreciate the opportunity to chat with you if you'd be so kind as to accompany me back to my lair." Ducky said with the tiniest of grins.

"I'm not really in the mood for talking, Ducky." Tony warned him.

"Do an old man this favor, won't you?"

"You know I hate it when you pull that card, right?" Tony sniped grumpily as he walked out of the lab with the M.E. and rode the elevator down with him.

"Yes, well, I am most concerned about you, young man. So, forgive me for taking the opportunity to see if I can be of some assistance to you."

"Aw, Ducky. I'm fine. It's just…."

"Just what, Anthony? What is it about what has happened to Timothy has you so deeply troubled?"

"The unanswered questions. Why neither you or Gibbs would tell me exactly what was done to McGee. Why McGee wasn't talking; still isn't really. It just leaves me seriously wondering…"

"Go on."

The next few minutes were unnervingly silent as the two men completed their journey to Autopsy, neither of them saying anything to dispel the other one from their thoughts.

"Imagination's a funny thing, Ducky. Sometimes it can take you to the worst of places without you even thinking about it." Tony sidestepped the question when he finally answered it.

"And yours has done that with regard to Timothy's injuries?"

"Yeah. I just can't seem to get away from that, ya know?" Tony answered quietly as he took the chair next to Ducky's desk.

"Anthony. Correct me if I'm wrong, but what you're really telling me is that your imagination has decided that something happened to Timothy during the time he was held against his will that is so dreadful that no one will discuss it."

"That about sums it up, Doc. I mean, c'mon, there isn't much we can't tell each other, unless it's really, really bad and THAT is about as bad as it gets and if I'm right and THAT is what was done to him; I don't…."

"Anthony. Stop. You are putting yourself through mental anguish for naught. I do realize what you have imagined has happened to your teammate and I can honestly promise you that you are wrong."

"Really?"

"Yes, and thank heavens for that."

"Oh, yeah! I'm with you on that Ducky." Tony celebrated with a grin that lit up the room. "Thanks."

"You're quite welcome. However, I do wish to caution you that Timothy will most likely not discuss any details of what he did suffer through, with anyone. It is a decision we all must respect and respect him for."

"I hear ya. I'm not gonna bug him to talk to me about it. I promise."

"Yes, well I'll expect you to adhere to that promise, young man." Ducky warned.

"I will." Tony vowed as he left Autopsy feeling almost okay again.

* * *

><p>"McGee, I may need glasses to read with, but I'm not blind. You are not fine." Gibbs told him without raising his voice.<p>

"I need to get back to work, Boss. I gotta find this guy." Tim replied with dogged insistence.

"No, McGee. What you need to do is sleep. You haven't even managed to get an hour's worth all night have you?" the older man admonished.

"No. But until I figure who this is, I'm not gonna be able to sleep anyway, Boss. Besides, it's not even doing me any good to try. All it's doing is…." Tim got to his feet abruptly, nearly falling back down onto the couch in the process, his balance completely out of wick, as his injuries protested greatly against the abuse of such rapid and extreme movements. The frustration almost rolling off of him.

Gibbs quickly reached out and steadied the younger man, holding on to his arm and taking the opportunity to search his eyes as well, for what was truly going on. The boss failed to let go of him though and this had Tim attempting to make what he was saying more believable. "Please, Boss. I'm fine."

"No, McGee, You are not fine. But I get it. C'mon, I'll keep an eye on ya, but you will do as Ducky tells ya, no argument. Got it?"

"Thanks, Boss." Tim took the first step towards the door.

"Wanna tell me what it is you were doing while you were here tonight? Maybe we can pick up from there." Gibbs asked almost conversationally as he slowly walked with his agent down the hall back toward the stairs.

"Been wracking my brain for the details, Boss. Trying to get the report finished." Tim explained as he kept his eyes glued to the floor while they walked.

Gibbs halted their walk with a squeeze of pressure on the younger man's arm. "McGee, I know I don't usually say this, but the report can wait. You need to sleep."

Tim looked up. Letting out a huge sigh of frustration mixed with exhaustion, he allowed himself to look his boss in the eye. "No, it can't." Dropping his eyes once more, he remained silent.

"I'm listenin'. Why are you pushin' yourself like this?" the rare show of sympathy and patience from the ordinarily impatient man, seemed to open the door for the struggling young man.

"I need to do this while it's still… while I can still remember…details. Everything that was said….stuff." Tim tried to explain even as most of the words escaped his efforts; which only served to embarrass him worse. He voice was barely audible and he couldn't even bring himself to look his boss in the eye as he admitted as much as he could, hoping against hope, that the only man who'd been privy to his most vulnerable moments and knew of his personal torment more than anyone else, understood what he was saying.

Gibbs studied his agent, standing before him, a mass of emotional reaction tied up in the ill-conceived notion that he had to be strong, twisted up within the need to find out who had done this to him and stuffed under the inability to sleep worth a damn. He could only admire Tim for his insistence that he keep going on this. The one thing he couldn't do was come down on him for it.

Letting out his own sigh, the boss-man patted his agent on the arm. "Alright, Tim. Let's go figure out who this bastard is."

Tim looked up, met with Gibbs' encouraging look and supportive hand on his arm, and smiled back at him. "Thanks, Boss."


	9. Chapter 8

Back in the squad room, Gibbs settled in at his desk again to get his own report of the case up to speed as Tim tried to settle back down at his own desk once more. Realizing he'd lost his train of thought on what he'd been doing earlier; he breathed out a sigh of frustration and got busy re-reading what he'd already written, hoping to get back on track rather quickly. It wasn't long before Tim was once again lost in the less than pleasant experience of trying to pull each piece of what had taken place; what was said; what was done, in the past 24 hours.

* * *

><p><em>**Ding**<em>

The sound echoed around the nearly silent lab, jolting Abby from her sleep. Rubbing her hand across her face, she was started to find not Agent Malone standing guard over her; but Ziva.

"Ziva? What's wrong? Why are you here? Where's Tom?" the Lab Rat asked question after question as her nerves jumped .

"Agent Malone has been sent home, Abby." Ziva was quick to reassure her that nothing bad had happened to the agent who'd been guarding her all night.

"What? Why? Oh my God, don't tell me he's in trouble for bringing me back here instead of driving me home!"

"No, Abby. It has..."

"I insisted on coming back here, I had tests to run. I have to get some clues to help you guys figure out who kidnapped Timmy! I mean, you should have seen him tonight, Ziva. He couldn't even sleep for longer than a few minutes without tossing and turning. I only touched him lightly and it literally scared him from his sleep, Ziva!" Abby interrupted with her tirade borne of nerves and worry.

"Abby... McGee..." the Agent attempted to shut down the tirade.

"I know, I know. He needs answers! The ding! We have a match, Ziva!" Abby cried excitedly as she ran to her computer, Ziva right behind her, grateful the conversation was redirected away from McGee before Abby realized he was here pushing himself to find the answers.

"Ha! Got it! Oh, my God! The tires found out in front of Gibbs' house belong to an 1974 Buick LeSabre convertible! Who drives an old clunker like that anymore? Okay, Tires, I know. As luck would have it they came out with new options for the '74 which included radial-ply tires. That's what these are. And only 3,627 of the convertible model were built that year. Wow, that's a really big car! That baby's got a huge..." Abby froze, as her eyes filled with tears even while her voice suddenly failed her. The image of a matching make and model of car filled her moniter.

"Abby what is it? I know this is difficult for you, but we need to know everything you can tell us. Please, finish what you started to say. It has a huge what?" Ziva pushed gently as she looked at the car's image.

"Trunk." Abby whispered as the image of Timmy being stuffed into a trunk filled her mind.

"Thank you for the information, Abby." Ziva offered quietly as she dug out her phone, hit a speed dial button and relayed Abby's findings to Gibbs. Ziva snapped her phone shut and put it away. Seeing the shocked look on Abbys' face, she asked her question. "What is wrong?"

"You woke Gibbs up for that?" Abby asked incredulously.

"No, I did not. He is upstairs at his desk, as is Tony." Ziva barely managed to stop herself before admitting McGee was here too. She did not want Abby to fly off the handle at Tim for being determined to get to the bottom of this.

"What? Gibbs is here? And he didn't come see me?" Abby asked in surprise.

"Abby, he has been busy. However, he did send Tony and I down here to check on you and find out why you are here at this hour. I believe he is unhappy with the idea of you not sleeping well."

"I'm fine! C'mon, let's go talk to him."

"Abby. He is busy. I, however, am not. Tell me what else you can about this car."

"I don't'want to have to repeat myself, Ziva. Let's go up to the squad room." Abby took off before Ziva could stop her.

* * *

><p>Tony returned to the squad room to find his probie back at work. Coming to stand at the younger man's back so he could talk privately with him, he was startled to see Tim jump nearly out of his skin when he realized Tony was there. The fear that had crossed his eyes as his head whipped around shocked Tony.<p>

"Tony!" Tim exclaimed loudly as his heart hammered heavily in his chest. "God! What is it with everyone creeping up on me?" in frustration and residual fear, Tim took himself out of the squad room, needing to calm down and breathe.

"Damn it!" Tony muttered. "Smart, DiNozzo, real smart!"

"Tony, knock it off. Just remember not to do it again." Gibbs growled at him.

"No, I gotta do something more than that, Boss. I gotta…." Tony gestured towards the direction Tim had gone.

"Go on."

Tony nodded and hurried out of the squad room after Tim, hoping to be able to talk to him and apologise.

"Gibbs!" Abby crowed gleefully as she hurled herself towards his desk. "I didn't know you guys were here too!"

"Hey, Abbs. Wanna tell me what you're doing here at this hour?"

"Why would you ask me that when we have to find out who took our Timmy and hurt him?" she asked in outrage.

"Abby. Listen to me." Gibbs stood up and took hold of her by the shoulders, looking her square on. "We know that whoever did this; did it as a personal vendetta. You need to stop broadcasting it like this. Calm down and tell me what you've got so far."

She looked at him with wounded eyes, until she saw the inclination of his head as he tried to infuse her with the understanding he needed her to have to get the job done without causing more waves for them.

"Okay. Well Ziva already told you what if found. Wait, I thought Tony was here too? I should wait til he's here so I only have to say this once."

"He's busy, Abbs. Just get to it." The boss instructed.

"Okay, jeez, somebody's grumpy." Abby complained quietly.

* * *

><p>Tony walked into the break room, relieved that Tim was trying to eat something since the younger man hadn't eaten anything in quite a while. Cautiously , he sat down at the same table Tim was sitting at and stared at his hands where he rested them on the table.<p>

"Tony, I'm not gonna break. I'm sorry I yelled at you like that, but you scared the hell outta me. Ziva did it earlier and I can't sleep for ten minutes without my dreams doing it to me either. I'm doing my best to be as strong as the rest of you just like I'm supposed to be, but there's only so much I can take in 1 day, ya know?" Tim got up and walked over to the window to look out, embarrassed and humiliated at having let that much personal information slip to the one person on the team who made it his daily chore to razz Tim about everything no matter how personal or painful.

Tony sat back in shock. He had no idea his teammate had been trying to deal with being tough when he was barely sleeping or moving around without being in pain from his injuries. It literally left him speechless. All thoughts of offering an apology abandoned ship at the merest hint that Tim would consider it lame and ill-timed.

Tim couldn't handle this quiet Tony. It wasn't normal and his nerves couldn't handle the change. "Gotta get back to work." He muttered as he headed out of the room to escape the smothering atmosphere.

He hadn't made it five steps inside the squad room before the air was infused with Abby's voice. "Timothy McGee, what the hell are you doing here and why didn't any of you tell me he was here?"

"Abby!" Gibbs hissed at her.

"What? Oh, right! Sorry." She lowered her voice but held onto the glowering glare she aimed at Tim.

Unwilling to get into it with her, Tim did the unthinkable; he ignored her and sat back down at his desk.

As Abby stared in shock at Tim's most unusual actions, she opened her mouth to speak but found a finger pressed up against her lips. "Leave him alone." Gibbs whispered authoritatively from right next to her, where he'd come to stand during her outburst.

Turning to Ziva, he asked. "Where's Tony?"

"Gibbs, I do not know. I was with Abby." She reminded him calmly.

"He's in the break room." Tim offered without looking up from his work. "I think I pissed him off. I didn't mean to though."

Gibbs looked at him for a silent minute. Just when he thought he'd seen the most unusual Tim could throw at him; the young man threw him another curveball like this. Wordlessly, the Team Leader headed out of the squad room, intent on finding out what was going on with Tony. He hadn't had the chance to talk to Ducky about what the M.E. had found out yet. _Ducky! _Changing directions, Gibbs headed down to Autopsy instead.

"Jethro, I do apologise for not getting back with you about Anthony, but I found myself in the midst of a few difficulties with my supply orders and got sidetracked."

"It's alright, Duck. I'm here, so tell me what you found out."

"It seems as though young Anthony's imagination was being quite cruel to him; allowing him to conjure up the worst possible outcome for Timothy to have endured while being held by the kidnapper. As I suspected, our seasoned investigator was having quite a hard time with attempting to wrap his head around the idea of something so insidious and personally humiliating happening to young Timothy."

Gibbs looked at the M.E. in surprise and silent question of whether or not he was being serious. "What'd you tell him, Duck?"

"I simply told him that he was wrong. I also pointed out to him that no matter what was the correct story; it was Timothy's and Timothy's alone to tell. I reminded him that we are to respect Timothy's deciscion of whom he talks to and about what."

The Team Leader nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash through him. Thinking back to that moment in the squad room a short time ago when Tim had been startled by Tony, he was left wondering what had to be going through Tony's mind at this point. It was a pretty safe bet that he was thrown by this unusual behavior from Tim as well. Then again, Tim had just been through the ordeal of being kidnapped and mistreated so they shouldn't have been surprised that he was easily startled right now. More to the point, they should have been more careful not to put him in that position to begin with.

Knowing that Tim was keeping himself occupied trying to figure out who had done this to him made Gibbs' next deciscion easy. It was time to have a word with Tony. He needed a fresh cup of coffee anyway and the break room would solve both issues for him. Sure enough, as he entered the break room, he found Tony standing at the window, staring out. Taking the time to refill his coffee, the Team Leader watched his Senior Field Agent out of the corner of his eye. When no movement was detected, it became clear that Tony had allowed himself to sink into whatever headspace he'd found to think things through. It was time to pull him back to the here and now.

"Hey." Gibbs said as he came to stand next to Tony at the window.

The younger man startled but glanced at the boss anyway. "Hey, Boss."

"Talk to me, DiNozzo."

"You saw what I did."

"Yup."

"Aren't you gonna like head slap me or somethin'?"

"Nope."

"C'mon, Boss! Just get it over with, already." Tony implored the man.

"Tony, c'mere. Sit down." The boss instructed as he led the way to the nearest table.

The younger man did as he'd been asked and sat down, rather heavily into the nearest chair, as if he was expecting the other shoe to drop squarely on his shoulders.

"Need you to listen to me for a minute."

"Sure, Boss."

"Talked to Ducky a minute ago. I understand what you were worried about. Shoulda just asked me, but I get why you didn't. Thing is, DiNozzo, you and Ziva have forgotten that McGee's a victim of a kidnapping. You don't crowd them."

"I know, Boss. Ya know, whatever they did to him has really gotten to him. He actually spouted off to me about me scaring him like I did. I didn't know Ziva had done it too, Boss. Ya know I didn't mean to scare him like that."

"Yeah, I do. So what's the problem, DiNozzo? Not like you to let it get to you like this."

"Boss, he said his dreams scare him. Said he knew he needed to be strong like he was supposed to be but that there was only so much he could take in 1 day." Tony admitted with an aire of self-recrimination.

"Doesn't make it your fault, DiNozzo. Just pay attention next time." The boss reassured his agent even as his head tried to take in what he'd just been told.

"Yeah. "

"C'mon, we've got work to do." Gibbs instructed as he led the way back to the squad room.

Once they'd arrived back at their desks, Gibbs immediately started in on what they had on the case so far. "Okay, where are we?"

"We've got the make and model of the car that matches the tire tracks left out in front of your house." Abby offered as she clicked the remote control and brought the photo of the car up on the plazma screen tv.

Tim looked up at the photo and felt his breath catch in his throat as he stood, almost trancelike from his chair, his eyes becoming unfocused.

"_C'mon, hurry up, he's not gonna stay out for long!"_

"_Cool it, man! I know what I'm doing! This fed's gonna regret the day he and that boss of his humiliated me if it's the last thing I make sure of!"_

"_Just get him in the car, Tyler!"_

"_HEY! DON'T use my name, you stupid idiot!"_

"_What the hell's your problem? It ain't like he can hear us any damn way! You practically killed him, ya hit him so hard!_

"_Just shut up and get him in the damn car, will ya?"_

"_Hey, it ain't my fault you were dumb enough to use this boat! You should a used your brother's work car!_

"_Shut up and throw him in the trunk, will ya? I had to use this one, it was the only car with a big enough trunk!"_

**"McGee!"** Tony snapped off on him, in an attempt to call him back from where ever his mind had just taken him.

"Tony, stop." Gibbs warned as he walked over to his youngest agent and gently propelled him down into his chair. "Tim, c'mon back to us." The Team Leader used his hand to clamp down on Tim's shoulder with enough pressure that he'd hopefully feel it and it would hopefully break through Tim's mind-set and bring him back.

Sure enough, it seemed to work as Tim sucked in a huge breath of air and seemed to crumple underneath Gibbs' hand as he breathed it back out, raggedly and unsteady.

"Easy, Tim." Gibbs soothed quietly. "Calm down."

Blinking owlishly, Tim refocused. Feeling the hand on his shoulder and hearing the calming voice in his ear, went a long way in calming Tim's breathing even as it filled him with embarrassment. The memory that had just come back to him weighed on him heavily. _Tyler. Where had he heard that name before? It hadn't been often. What the hell had he and Gibbs done to anyone named Tyler?_

Offering his boss a small smile of reassurance and gratitude, he told him just quietly enough for the older man alone to hear him. "Sorry, Boss. I'm okay now."

"Stop apologizing, McGee." Gibbs told him gruffly as he gave him the space he knew he needed and went back to his own desk. He'd talk to him about it later. For now, they needed to focus on the case.

Tony had by now, returned to his own desk, although he'd made no attempt to do anything by watch what was going on with Tim.

"Where were we?" Gibbs barked out to re-focus the team's attention back on the case. Seeing Abby and Ziva stand transfixed in horror at Tim being snapped back by a memory was disconcerting to say the least. It was time to get them all busy doing whatever they could to solve this. He needed to push Tim for what he remembered, but under the circumstances, he was not about to violate the young man's need to keep the private torment he'd suffered, private. Those questions could wait until they didn't have an audience.

Tim's fingers were flying over the keyboard as he searched for that missing puzzle piece that had been nagging him all night. The memory that had just flashed through his mind had brought with it, part of that missing piece. The guy's name. Posting a broad search for anyone with that name in all of their past cases, Tim sat back and breathed out a sigh. What was it that had been bugging him about this all night? Oh, yeah, the wording the bastard had used. _"__Agent McGee, please remove your trousers." Trousers! _

Tim's face lost all color as he looked over at the boss as he sat through Abby's ongoing findings about the car that had been used to kidnap Tim.

"McGee, what is it? You look as though you have seen a ghost." Ziva remarked loudly, her concern tangible.

Looking over at the young man, Gibbs held up his hand for Abby to stop talking. "McGee, what is it?"

Tim shook his head, the answer too much of a shock to speak of just yet.

"Alright, take a break, all of ya's." Gibbs called out without raising his voice. "Bring back 2 cups of coffee." He ordered, knowing it was the only way to actually get the team out of the squad room and the surrounding area long enough to get Tim to talk to him.

Once the team was gone, he walked over to the young man. "Tim, what is it? Talk to me."

Looking just as pasty white as he had a minute ago, Tim looked at his boss. "I know who did it."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Anyone put the pieces together and come up with who dunit yet?_


	10. Chapter 9

"_I know who did it."_

Gibbs perched himself on the corner of Tim's desk. Picking up the bottled water from where it had been placed on Tim's desk just a bit ago, the boss held it out to him. "Drink this and calm down. Then tell me."

Swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, Tim took the water and opened it, drinking down over half of it in one go, before recapping it and setting it down. "God, I can't believe it. I never would have suspected him." Tim grumbled as he turned back to his keyboard and began tapping away at it as he pulled up the case he needed to provide the boss with the background they were looking at.

"Put it up on the plasma, Tim." Gibbs instructed as he stood up and walked back over to stand in front of the big screen.

Tim froze. He'd tried so hard to keep this just between them always hoping it could stay this way. Hearing those instructions shattered that notion. Now the whole team would be privy to everything anyway.

Gibbs waited for his instructions to be carried out, as they normally were. When no such results panned out, he looked back over at the young man, to see him looking almost as if he'd just been betrayed. "McGee, we have to have the nuts and bolts of the case. You know that. Go on put it up there. Let's see what we're dealing with. And tell me how you figured it out."

Tim mentally shook his head and did as he was told, putting the case info up on the plasma TV, then walked over to stand beside his boss. "I remembered what he and his accomplice said while they thought I was out of it." Tim swallowed hard and stopped for a second before deliberately pushing himself to get through this painful admission of what had been done to him. "While they were putting me in the trunk. Guess they hadn't hit me hard enough to knock me out completely, just hard enough that I was out long enough for them to have time to tie my hands behind my back and my knees together; my feet too."

The hesitation of his speech was gone by this time and in its' place was anger in the longest string of word's he'd spoken since this whole ordeal had taken place. Gibbs doubted he'd ever heard this young man this angry before, but who the hell could blame him after everything they'd done to him?

As Tim finished talking, he walked back over to his desk and sat back down at his computer, his hands once again flying across his keyboard making sure to document this into the case report.

"McGee, we've dealt with more than one Tyler over the years. What told you it was this one that did this?" the boss asked with the need for clarification.

Tim clicked on the mouse and suddenly a sentence in the old case report currently on display on the big screen was highlighted. "Because of this, Boss."

_Please take off your trousers_

Gibbs looked at it in surprise as he recalled those words in Tim's report on that case. Walking back over to his agent's desk,where he'd sat just a moment ago, he perched himself on it once more and again, looked his agent square on. he remarked, " I'm surprised you included that in the official report, McGee. Still wondering why I didn't think to have you take it out. Guess it's a damn good thing I didn't. What about it, though?"

Now, some of Tim's anger became replaced with the residual humiliation and shame that he'd had heaped on him. His head dropped down and he suddenly lost the ability to answer the question.

Looking at him for a long minute, Gibbs' brain began putting the pieces together. Tim's injuries that he'd had to have been undressed to have inflicted on him, along with the words highlighted on the screen now, painted the picture fairly clearly. His reluctance to spell anything out for the team or even for Gibbs or Ducky solidified that picture further.

"It was payback for when I told him to do it that day in their office." Tim said somberly as he finally looked up only to suddenly find his desk fascinating.

_Our country is at war! Alert Level Orange in case you happened to not notice. We are told to keep an eye on people who are behaving suspiciously. I was doing my job …". Tyler Barrett fired off defensively. _

"_Is that why you planted the explosives?" Gibbs asked him calmly. _

"_I didn't plant any explosives." Deputy Barrett denied._

'"_McGee." Gibbs replied almost offhandedly. _

"_Deputy, please take off your trousers." Tim requested politely.. _

"_You know what? Screw you, McGee!" Tyler exclaimed hotly._

"_Tyler…" Sheriff Tom Barrett tried to talk some sense into his little brother _

"_If you prefer, I can get Officer David to take them off for you." Gibbs interrupted while keeping his tone calm and even._

Breathing out a deep sigh of frustration and resignation, Gibbs looked at his agent now who'd only been doing his job then; and had remained polite about it to a fault as he'd gone about it. To think that three years later, that one request from this gentle giant of a man would come back to haunt him like this burned in Gibbs' gut something fierce. Drawing in yet another breath and slowly letting it out, he finally responded to his agent, his tone regretful of the pain this has now caused the young man. "Yeah, I remember, Tim., If you recall, I told you to do it and I threatened to sic Ziva on him if he didn't cooperate."

"I remember, Boss. I'm guessing that's why he's still carrying a grudge against Ziva, too." Tim supplied worriedly.

"No, he was already prejudiced against her. If he is out to get her now it's because he's still pissed because she didn't let him get to her and she literally brought him to his knees when he really got out of hand at one point." The boss informed him.

"Wow, she never mentioned it."

"No, she wouldn't. Probably doesn't even know that I know about it. Okay, McGee. Take the highlight off ." The boss requested.

The younger agent was quick to do as he'd been told.

"What exactly did he say to you when he had you, Tim?"

"He said those exact words, Boss. In a mocking smart-ass tone." Tim answered quietly. " '_Please take off your trousers_.' Over and over while he was…" the young man's voice got smaller and smaller before he stopped, his head dropping down with abject humiliation and shame as silence moved in between them once more.

The Team Leader looked his agent over for a silent minute. Finally, he stood up and headed back to his own desk, "Alright, that cinches it for me. Sit tight. The kidnapping of a Federal Agent is Fornell's jurisdiction. Now that we've figured out who did it, we'll let him handle it from here."

"Boss?" Tim asked hesitantly in surprise.

"We don't want this bastard getting away with it and we sure as hell don't want him walking on any technicality. Can't have his lawyer making any motions to suppress evidence because we've handled it ourselves instead of letting the FBI handle it, McGee." Gibbs reminded him as he dug out his phone and made the call.

"Hey, got one for you. …Priority…..Right….Yup…Come on in and we'll tell ya." Snickering, Gibbs closed his phone and turned back to his agent. Good job, McGee. Now go back up to that conference room and get some sleep."

Tim shook his head. "Boss, I can't." he argued without any heat or volume.

"Why not?"

"Don't want to keep seeing ..hearing….all over again…" Tim's inability to finish the words had returned with the thought of being dragged back down into the memories while he slept.

As he closed the distance between them once more, determined to keep these kinds of questions as private as he could for his agent's sake, the boss asked him the burning question. "You ready to tell me exactly what happened? Might help to talk about it, get it out."

"I still can't remember everything." Tim reminded him.

"Doesn't matter. Just tell me what you do remember; maybe it'll help the rest come back to you."

Tim shook his head a little more firmly this time. "No. Please, I don't even want to think about it anymore." The ragged exhaustion rang clear in Tim's pleading.

"Alright. Soon as they're in custody, you're going home with Tony."

"Boss?" Tim asked in shock mixed with a little alarm.

"Oh, Don't worry, Tony's gonna have his instructions on what he needs to do. Your job is gonna be to do what he tells ya. And no, McGee, he's not gonna be pullin' any pranks on you, so stop lookin' at me like that." Gibbs smirked.

* * *

><p>The return of Tony and Ziva to the squad room with Abby heralded the end of that conversation while the arrival of Tobias Fornell almost at the same time, brought on some seriously question looks.<p>

"Jethro? You've been working this case when you know it's FBI jurisdiction? He may be your agent but…."

"Relax, Fornell, all we did is figure out who did it. Well, the ring leader, anyway. You'll have to figure out who the other person was and if it was just the two of them. I suggest you start with this guy's family tree. His brother Tom is the local Sheriff out there. Until you figure it out and round them up, none of my people are safe. These dirt bags might just take it upon themselves to use one of them to get back at McGee since they're not getting another chance to get to him." Gibbs told him as he walked to meet him in the center of the squad room.

"Boss? Are you serious? You figured out who it is?" Tony asked in shock

"McGee did. Look at the plasma, DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered almost in an offhand manner as he kept his eyes on his FBI friend.. "That's who we're dealing with."

"I knew I hated the boondocks for a reason!" Tony sniped bringing forth a tiny grin from Tim. "But seriously? The rednecks from Edenvale? Tyler Barrett of all people?"

"THIS is who did this?" Ziva asked angrily. Her dealings with this racist deputy had left her angry and resentful that people with those attitudes could be in positions of power like that. While he hadn't been her first experience with that situation, he'd certainly ripened her hatred of such abuse of power.

_The curtain pulled back with the beefy hand of the bigoted Deputy as he entered the small triage room where their witness was recovering from being shot by the trigger happy uniformed man himself. "Mmm. Cozy." He sneered as he looked at the Iraqi born man, he'd labeled a killer._

"_Can I help you_?" _Ziva asked warningly._

"_You know, a couple more inches to your right and our martyr here could have been living it up with all those vestal virgins. You know, it truly is a screwed up religion where you have to blow yourself up just to get lucky." Tyler Barrett sniped spitefully. _

_Before he'd even spoke another word, Ziva had the man's fingers in a vice-grip and she dropped him almost to his knees by applying pressure at the right point. Wringing forth a gasp of pain from Barrett._

"_When you insult his religion, you insult mine and your own. Tell him you're sorry." Ziva quietly told him with steel in her voice. _

" _I'm sorry." Tyler uttered before gasping in more discomfort as Ziva squeezed harder. " Ah!" _

" _I don't think he heard you." Ziva informed him firmly _

" _I'm sorry." The deputy offered with more volume_

"_Apology accepted" Masoud replied charitibly_

"He really was a first class bastard." Tony agreed. He'd been disappointed Ziva hadn't wiped the floor with the jerk the first day they'd met him. He would have paid good money to see that happen. The Senior Field Agent had been impressed with Ziva' ability to keep a cool head.

"_The victim made one phone call from the motel. Local guy by the name of Masoud Tariq. Only been in town a few months. He's an I-raqi." Tom Barrett explained. _

"_Same as the victim." – Tyler Barrett snidely remarked. _

"_She's from Kuwait, actually." Ziva corrected firmly with just a touch of chastisement in her tone. _

"_And where are you from?" Tyler asked in a tone full of sarcasm. _

"_The city." Ziva answered calmly without batting an eye. _

Finding out later that he'd missed most of the worst of the man's attitude when he got sent back to D.C. with Ducky to do the digging into the victim's military career and c.o., had seriously left Tony even more disappointed. It was always fun watching Ziva put bigoted people in their place.

Realizing that that case was now behind the kidnapping of his teammate, some three years later was really ticking Tony off. "Wait, a minute! Isn't he serving time for setting the prime suspect up with that bomb making stuff in his garage?" The Senior Field Agent demanded.

Several clicks of Tim's computer keyboard later and the answer was up on the plasma for all of them to see. Apparently, because of his fine upstanding brother and his own history of no violent criminal behavior, added to his model behavior behind bars, Tyler Barrett only served two and a half years in jail. He even returned to his job at the Sherrif's Office in Edenvale, even he was restricted to the office side of the job. He'd been out only six months. Apparently he'd been very busy.

"Unbelievable." Abby muttered as she stood at Tim's shoulders, actually silently massaging them since she'd come to stand by him and noticed how upset and tense he was when she'd first come back with his coffee.

Tim relaxed into Abby's ministrations, grateful beyond measure that she was still trying to be here for him, despite how he'd acted towards her earlier. Gibbs glanced over to see why Tim had gone so quiet and had to smile at the sight of his agent actually relaxing for the first time since this whole nightmare had started for him.

The trouble with that was, they still had to sit down and go over the case with Fornell. Gibbs knew they needed to read the team into the full brunt of the case, but was struggling with how to do that without crossing into forfeiting Tim's dignity and right to privacy. Maybe this time, the team would just have to settle with not being completely read into it.

"Okay, Tony, Ziva and Abby, wrap it up. Stay together and stay sharp, but go home, go to Tony's or something. Get some sleep. Don't let me see you back in here before 10 in the morning."

"Boss?"

"Did I stutter, DiNozzo?"

"No, Boss, but what about McGoo?"

"He's staying with me. We're not leaving until this jackass is in custody and whoever helped him do it is too."

"Then we should stay with you." Ziva argued.

"No, Da'vid. What you should do, is go home and get some sleep. Since your protection detail's already gone, that leaves the two of you responsible for Abby's safety and your own."

"But, what about Ducky?" Abby asked.

"I am just fine, my dear." The Scotsman answered as he entered the squad room from the back. "However, I do appreciate your asking."

"Well, that's great Duckman, but I'm talking about if we go home, who's gonna watch out for you?"

"Oh, that's a simple remedy, my dear. The three of you can bunk at my house. In fact, Jethro, all of you can. And do not tell me there is no need. Young Timothy is certainly in dire need of a good night's sleep and possibly even some antibiotics if his wounds have become aggravated at all." Ducky asserted.

Gibbs nodded. Ducky's place was the only one big enough to house all of them and it would give them all adequate protection against anything like this happening again.

"Wait, I'm still trying to figure out why this guy is so pissed at Timmy." Abby suddenly threw out there. "I mean, all of you went up there and worked the case, right? And Timmy's the quietest one of all of us. What could he possibly have done that ticked this guy off bad enough to come after him now?"

Tim looked at the boss who steadily looked back at him. Cobalt blue ones promised complete backup on keeping things quiet and trust while green ones begged for it.

"Guys? There's obviously something going on that you're not telling us. Spill it! What happened that got this guy so mad he'd come for payback now?" Abby insisted in a much more quieter tone as if she realized she was treading on seriously troubling ground.

"McGee was doing his job. Barrett didn't like getting caught being a dirty cop. He has no respect for any Law Enforcement that comes from anywhere bigger than his own piece of the pond." Gibbs told her firmly enough that she knew to leave it alone.

"_You big-time Washington D.C. guys, you blow in here so smart. Think you got all the answers. You don't know squat about this town"_

"Wow! He actually said that to your face, Boss? Where was I when he was playing with stupid like that?" Tony quipped.

"Back here, talking to Lt. Sheehan's CO:, you know, the bastard who killed her to protect his own ass because he was dirty?" Gibbs bit out angrily. "Or don't you remember?"

"_Dinozzo, ride back with Ducky. Talk to Lieutenant Shaheen's Commanding Officer. Find out what she was working on in Iraq" Gibbs ordered firmly. _

"_Okay, back to the big city suits me, boss. I got the Boondock Blues already." Tony said cheerfully as he left the room in Ducky's wake._

"I remember. Sorry Boss. I also remember that she was a Kuwaiti born interpreter who'd emigrated to the U.S. as a kid and then served the country she grew up in, only to be killed by that bastard CO of hers. But why would that piss Jr. Barrett off bad enough to come after Probie now?"

Gibbs glared Tony into silence, angry that this discussion had come so perilously close to crossing that line he was trying so hard not to let be crossed for Tim's sake. "Pack it in!" he ordered once more, not bothering to hide the fact that he was deliberately and abruptly ending the discussion.

Tony looked over at Ducky. The M.E.'s words of warning came back to the younger man now.

_Timothy will most likely not discuss any details of what he did suffer through, with anyone. It is a decision we all must respect and respect him for._

Seeing the silent communication that had gone on between the boss and the probie, Tony knew without a shadow of a doubt that Gibbs was one of the chosen few who had been privy to that discussion Ducky had alluded to. It was pretty much guaranteed that the M.E. had been too; or at least, knew exactly what Barrett had done to his probie, but Tony understood that. In fact, he felt relieved that Tim had let someone in and not kept it completely bottled up.

Nodding now, at the M.E.'s confirming pointed look, Tony did what he could to help ease the moment, "Okay, let's get going."

Tim had tensed under Abby's assertive questioning, even as her hands had kept up their massaging of his shoulders throughout the stress filled moments. Now he stood, kissed Abby on the cheek and whispered words of gratitude and apology before turning to face the rest of his team.

"Ziva. Please be careful. You remember what this guy was like towards you. If he's pissed enough to come after me and the boss, he might very well think to come after you, too." He implored her with genuine worry in a voice that shook. Being reminded just a minute ago of some of what Barrett had said that day and repeatedly goaded Tim with while he had him bound and blindfolded; had rattled Tim but he refused to give into it. What he had to say to his team he needed to warn was more important..

"Wait! After Gibbs? When did this happen?" Tony demanded.

"It hasn't. Doesn't mean it won't, DiNozzo. Which makes Ducky's suggestion a good one, so let's go, pack it in. We'll head out as soon as I'm done reading the FBI in and handing…"

"I hope the hell someone's going to read **me** in as to what the hell's going on in my agency without my knowledge." Vance stated angrily from the edge of the squad room.


	11. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thank you Shelbylou, for your invaluable help with this chapter_

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><p>"<em>The three of you can bunk at my house. In fact, Jethro, all of you can. And do not tell me there is no need. Young Timothy is certainly in dire need of a good night's sleep and possibly even some antibiotics if his wounds have become aggravated at all."<br>_

As the team settled in comfortably for a short movie night and _hopefully _a good, restful sleep, the effects of the last 24 hours were already becoming obvious as they began wearing them down. Dinner had been a quiet affair, with no one speaking much about anything and certainly nothing about the tense moments in the squad room when Director Vance had shown up and angrily let his anger resound around the squad room.

They'd been able to breathe a sigh of relief when Gibbs had looked at Tony and Ducky and told them, "Go, on, I'll deal with this."

Following the Team Leader's instructions, Tony and Ziva had accompanied Abby, Jimmy and Ducky back to C_hez Mallard_ and set about helping him fix dinner and the spare places for the team to bed down for the night. Gibbs had arrived with Tim in tow an hour later, and they all noticed how both of them were silent and brooding in lieu of what had happened. It had been risky, letting the two potential targets remain together, but Tony had trusted Gibbs' gut and it had been obvious that the famous gut was telling him that no one would actually mess with Gibbs; they were merely blowing smoke to scare the hell out of Tim and it had obviously worked.

Now as the team relaxed in the living room, there was an ominous silence that settled between the ranks. Tony sat with Abby on the floor with his arms around the goth's shoulders and Ziva and Jimmy sat comfortably in the armchairs. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts about what had happened and the silence was testament to how much the last day had taken out of them. A quiet and withdrawn Tim had already turned in while Gibbs had been patrolling the exterior of the house with Tony and when they'd come back inside, a few minutes ago, the oldest two of the group had settled in at the at the kitchen table to enjoy their after dinner coffee and tea.

"You've been exceptionally quiet this evening, Jethro. Do not forget, my friend, that should the need to talk arise, I will be right where I always am." Ducky reminded his friend gently, knowing the younger man would understand the unspoken ending to that sentece to be _'right here ready to listen'._

Gibbs smiled at him softly in silent acknowledgement of the offer from his long-time friend. The words he wanted to say seemed to stick in his throat and he knew that, even if he wanted to, until he had rationalized things in his own head, he wouldn't be able to talk. Ducky understood and Gibbs knew that his old friend knew how much of an emotional mute he was at the best of times. It was times like this that was one of the reasons he loved the old man dearly because no words were needed.

"How did you leave things with the Director?" The older man kindly changed the subject.

"Same as usual. Unless he hears about it firsthand, anything that he gets wind of pisses him off. He'll get over it. Not him I'm worried about." The Team Leader was able to quickly answer the much safer question.

"Ah, but you are worried and such the rarity that it is for you to admit such a thing, it must truly be something to be concerned about. What is it?" Ducky was a shrewd old bird when he wanted to be and Gibbs couldn't help but narrow his eyes at him.

"Getting these bastards behind bars and wrapping this case up before it buries McGee. He's stayin' too wrapped up about this, Duck."

"Perhaps, we are simply assuming to know why Timothy has remained so tight-lipped this evening. It isn't as though he normally spouts off very much to begin with. He has never been the most talkative of souls, Jethro"

"How'd you get him to agree to sleep? He was pretty scared of the idea earlier." Gibbs changed the topic slightly and didn't mention Ducky's point. He knew the older man was right, but only to a small degree. The Team Leader knew that he was right to remain cautiously watchful over his agent in this regard but also needed to know what else was going on.

"I allowed Jethro to accompany him up to bed after Anthony and Abigail were kind enough to go and retrieve him. That poor dog has missed his master. I also reminded Timothy that the presence of his faithful companion may very well aid him in keeping the nightly replays of that horrid experience at bay."

Gibbs nodded his understanding as he drank from his cup, his thoughts running amuck, unable to settle on just one problem. Before he could think on any one thought any longer, his cell phone chirped into the momentary silence.

"Yeah. Gibbs." The Team Leader answered quietly.

"_Jethro. Wanted to give you an update on the case. Figured you'd be itchin' for it by now."_

"Whatcha come up with, Tobias?"

"_Turns out, you were right. This Tyler Barrett is your man. Trouble is, we can't find him. He's crawled off under a rock somewhere. We're still lookin'. He'll come outta hiding sometime soon. I just know it. His kind usually do."_

"What about his accomplice?"

"_Word around town is he and his cousin, Tony are pretty tight. We're tryin' to find him, too."_

"What'd his brother have to say?"

"_Says he had no idea his brother would do something like this. Wasn't even aware the guy was still holding a grudge about what happened back then."_

"Talk to anyone else about him?"

"_Everyone who works with him. He doesn't have any neighbors, lives off by himself on a secluded piece of property his grandparents left him._

"Check with Darryl Hardy." Gibbs told him.

"_Haven't heard of him. Who is he?"_

"Tom Barrett called him the nosy neighbor that gives towns like theirs a bad name. Watches everything going on. He tried to tell Tom Barrett, three years ago there was trouble, but they never wanted to listen. He had a pretty good dossier put together on what he'd considered trouble brewing back then."

"_So you think he somehow knows something?"_

"It's possible. Need to make sure they didn't extend their need for revenge to him. Might wanna do the same for that Forensic Tech of theirs, Ruby somethin' or other."

_"You think they'd go after one of thier own?"_

"Wouldn't put it past them, Tobias. She did help solve the case. Helped get him caught, too."

"_Okay. Yeah, we'll check on both of them for you. I'll let you know if the APB's turn up anything. The BOLO for the car hasn't turned up anything either."_

"Might wanna widen the area covered in them, Tobias. God knows, if they have family property somewhere else."

_"On it."_

"If you can't find him or the car, what makes you think we've got the right man, Tobias?"

_"Fingerprints on your man's car and on his clothes and…"_

"Just say it, Fornell."

_"McGee's skin, Jethro. The hospital evidence came up with fingerprints that match Tyler Barrett. Got some unmatched ones too, oddly enough they're closely related DNA to Barrett's. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's pretty obvious that the cousin Tony's the other scumbag we're looking for here."_

"Yeah, I'd take that bet, too. Thanks, Tobias." Gibbs frowned as he put his cell phone away.

"Bad news, I take it?" Ducky asked understandingly.

"Son of a bitch has crawled off into hiding. FBI can't find him or his dirtbag cousin who helped him. Hell, they haven't even found the damn car yet!"

"They will find him, Jethro. You know Tobias will not let his Agency be bested this way."

"Yeah, well. If either of the bastards aren't in custody by this time tomorrow, my team's getting' involved, protocol be damned." Gibbs growled

Taking a sip of his coffee, he caught a movement in the doorway and looked up, only to be suddenly face to face with the very agent at the heart of his concern. Not bothering to hide that concern, Gibbs drew him into the conversation as calmly as he could. "McGee, can't sleep?"

"No, I can't. Jethro wanted to go out anyway." Tim answered quietly as he stiffly sat down at the table and brought his hands up to the mug of hot tea Ducky somehow had already placed in front of him with a warm smile. He wrapped his hands around the mug and glanced at the M.E. gratefully. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, dear boy. Tell me, are you still being plagued by the dreadful nightmares? Might that be why you are not able to sleep?"

"Not this time." Tim admitted as he offered a weak smile to the older man. "That's a road best not travelled right now, Ducky."

"What's going on, McGee?" the boss asked with a touch of firmness.

"We need to get him. Both of them." Tim said as he looked steadily at his mug.

Gibbs looked pointedly at the M.E. "Duck, why don't you chase the rest of the pack off to bed? Might wanna remind them they still have to work tomorrow. Oh and you might wanna tell them they're expected in by 9 instead of 10. No excuses."

Ducky nodded as he rose from his chair, patted Tim on the arm sympathetically, and left the room.

"Talk to me." Gibbs encouraged.

"I heard you on the phone since I was coming down to get a drink. Fornell can't find them. Boss, if you let me track both of their movements we can find them. They had to stop for gas somewhere along the way. That car doesn't get good enough gas mileage for them not have needed to."

"Alright. But, you're still not actively doing anything in this case, got it? We can't have your fingerprints on any of it."

"I know, Boss. Let me just set up my laptop and I can start the search for where he's been."

"You're forgetting he might be a 'cash only' kinda guy, McGee."

"Like you, Boss?" Tim offered a small grin with his quip to diffuse the tension.

"Hmm." was all Gibbs would offer in reply although he did offer a small smirk in return for Tim's attempt at humor. But, it was only there for a split second and Tim would have missed it if he hadn't been looking for it; hoping to see it. All too soon, Gibbs was serious once more."I'll have Fornell's team focus on the gas stations as soon as you give me the route he would have taken. You said you woke up as they were putting you in the trunk. How long did you stay awake? Do you remember?"

"I don't remember losing consciousness again until the car stopped and they popped the hood. One of them knocked me in the head again."

"Okay. About how long were you in the car? Can you describe the road they took? Did they stop at all?"

Tim closed his eyes and thought back for a minute.

_**Flashback**_

_He bit back a cry of pain as they unceremoniously dumped him into the trunk and shut it as quietly but firmly as they could. The closing of the car doors seems painfully loud to his ears and the sound of the tires going round on the surface of the paved road doesn't seem any less noisy. But the rhythm doesn't change for so long that he's almost lulled to sleep, despite the anxiety that is now pooled in his gut and the pain throbbing in his head from where they knocked him with the tire iron. About the time he's slipping back into unconsciousness, the tires bump onto a different road surface and it feels just as smooth but is much quieter. Dirt road?_

_Soon, the car is bouncing and rocking as it hits one pot hole after another as it continues on; each bump and bounce bringing agony to his head and soreness to the rest of his body. No other sound reaches his ears until the car is finally brought to a stop and the doors open. Now, he can hear muted footsteps as they approach the trunk of the car. The popping of the trunk is noisy and brings a moment of fear to his heart as it leaps up into his throat._

_Even with the emotions running high and his terror silently screaming to be heard while his voice refused to work, he can hear the sounds of a rushing river nearby; very nearby. Before he can notice anything else, he's knocked back into the depths of blackness with a painful blow to the head. _

_**End Flashback**_

Lost in his painfully vivid memory of that horrible night, Tim didn't realize that he'd lost all color as the shock drained the blood from his face or that his breathing had become so erratic that he was very close to hyperventilating and with each troubled breath, the concern his boss was feeling for him grew. As he sat there, still incognizant of time or place, Tim was completely unaware that Gibbs had called Ducky back into the room.

"Timothy, it's alright, dear boy." Ducky attempted to soothe Tim back from the vivid recollection that had nearly swallowed him whole.

"McGee!" Gibbs tried with a little more firmness and volume.

Tim blinked, as the voices finally reached him through the haze. As he broke away from the grip of the memory and followed the voices that called to him now and were pulling him back simply by just being there, he felt the painful pressure in his lungs ease and breathing very slowly becoming easier although he's still unable to reign it in.

Tim blinked again to try and focus but found it difficult to reacclimatize himself and for whatever reason, it took him a few minutes to know where he was. His eyes darted around the room in the tell-tale sign of disorientation. Unexpectedly, a calm voice soothed his uneasiness.

"Okay, McGee?" Gibbs asked with concern.

Blinking again, Tim finally sees Ducky and Gibbs watching over him like papa bears, sitting next to him, offering their silent support. He finally began to get his bearings, he noticed he still felt shaken and slightly disorientated and his breathing still sounded and felt like he'd just run the Boston Marathon. Suddenly, he could feel the blush creep slowly up from his chest at the breakdown he'd just had in full view of the two papa bears that had done their level best to keep him safe.

" Calm yourself, Timothy." Ducky soothed once more.

Tim wanted to tell him that he was trying _He really was!_ But his body was still recovering from the shock of his flashback . He felt the stiff material of a blood pressure cuff slipping over his arm

When he glanced up. He knew he needed to get himself under control because right now, his BP would be through the roof and worry the gentile M.E. needlessly. He nervously looked over at Gibbs and saw that the boss was holding a glass of water whilst gently gripping onto his arm to physically ground him to the here and now. It was what he needed and somehow, both of the older men knew it and the fact that they were both willing to offer it woke Tim up more than anything else could have.

Ducky slipped the end of a stethoscope up Tim's shirt and frowned at the racing heartbeat he heard.

As the thought of the two older men being his protectors without even being asked passed through his mind, he couldn't help but smile for a second before his expression turned serious once more. _Why does what happened the other night keep coming back to him in such chopped up pieces; all of them painful both emotionally and physically as if he were experiencing it all a second time. How much more of this could he take?_

"Ah that's it Timothy. You're breathing is calming down now so I'd like to check you over and make certain that there are no lingering effects from this little episode. Come on lad, you need to return to bed and try to sleep so we might as well settle you in so as to take care of both needs together." The M.E. requested.

Tim shocked them by shaking his head in refusal. "No. Ducky, I can't. I'm fine now. But, I have to do this." Despite his shaky voice, the volume was somewhat firm and left no doubt he meant to stand stubbornly in this decision. He stood up, despite his immediate and obvious struggle with remaining upright, and moved away from the table. Although his determination was strong, his body was refusing to cooperate. His legs were trembling and even his hands continued to shake as he headed out of the room.

"McGee. Go get back in the bed. I'll bring you the laptop. If you're gonna do this, you're gonna do it off your feet or not at all." Gibbs offered the only compromise he was willing to make and made sure his tone let that much be known.

Tim stopped and immediately had to grab onto the door as he turned to look at his boss.

With his eyebrow raised in his silent dare that his word be contradicted, Gibbs managed to avert another argument. After all, Tim never argued with that look on his boss' face.

"Boss?" Tony asked from just behind Tim in the doorway. "Everything all right?"

"Make sure McGee gets back to bed, DiNozzo. Soon as I bring him the laptop, you help him do whatever it is he needs to do. Make damn sure he doesn't overdo it."

"Boss, how am I…?" Tony asked with confusion.

"Anthony, just watch for the signs that his body needs rest. When you see them, assert your authority and remove the laptop. Oh and Anthony?" Ducky waited for Tony to turn and look at him. "Please don't forget to sleep as well young man."

Tony gave a half-hearted sloppy salute before guiding Tim upstairs. They had no idea whether or not he'd be able to do what he was suggesting, but they had no choice, but to let him try.


	12. Chapter 11

_A/N: Thank you Shelbylou for your continued help and support with this_

Dedicated to a_rkangel-36 - who created this gem and is unable to complete it on her own. Hang Tough, my friend. We miss you._

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><p>Breakfast the next morning began as an experience in oppressive silence like nothing they'd ever experienced as a group before. Tim was still in pain and even though he was trying his damndest to try and hide it, he was unknowingly projecting it strongly and everyone knew he was in agony. He was currently pushing the waffles around on his plate, while Abby mindlessly shoveled bite after bite into her mouth to keep her mouth busy so she didn't speak and say the wrong thing. It was something she feared because she knew how easy it was to upset someone, especially Tim who had always been sensitive to how she felt. Tony sat there morosely. Even on a good day, the senior agent would have a joke or a prank to try and cheer himself up. Not today. Today he sat there quietly drinking his coffee in the cloying atmosphere that had them all in its grasp. Gibbs and Ducky wisely kept their silence, not demanding anything from any of them, but not contributing just yet either.<p>

Ziva was the only one talking. She wanted to go running and so decided to eat once she got back. She was sipping at a glass of ice water as she described where it was she wanted to go.

"I will not go far, but running cleanses my mind."

"Clears." Tim mumbled and glanced up at her. "You're taking your body guard."

"Of course, McGee."

"Take mine too. Not like I'll be going anywhere anyway." Tim went back to playing with his food.

"No. You nee…" Ziva started to protest but stopped when she felt a gentle hand on her arm.

"Arguing with him will do you no good and I have to say my dear, I agree with our young man there."

There was a collective agreement from Gibbs, Abby and Tony as the quietness was finally shattered with their vocal cajoling. Ziva sighed heavily and told them that she would do what they wished. Under normal circumstances, she was quite unhappy with such a large focus on her own safety. She reminded them on pretty much a daily basis, that she was more than capable to look after herself. But it was as if this morning was different for all of them; none of them bickered or disagreed much at all. Even Ziva's protest had been half hearted and was more about cutting the tension than it was about actually arguing with them.

With the gates of communication thrown wide open, the mood improved significantly and quickly, with Abby and Tony exchanging teasing barbs while discussing what little progress an extremely tired group had made in tracking down Tyler Barrett before surrendering to their own exhaustion very early that morning. Tim had done his best even in his exhausted, mentally exhausted, pained state, to track the route that matched the key points from his recollection of that night. He'd written down notes to follow so he'd save himself from having to re-think anything.

_Approximately 30 min drive without stopping.__  
><em>_Surface of road changed at about 45 mins. Dirt road maybe?__  
><em>_Final stop approximately 45 min later. River very close by. _

It had been after eleven last night when Gibbs had given Tim the okay to go ahead and do what he could so long as he was off his feet. Tony had tried to help, doing the typing while Tim directed his searches. Neither of them had spoken of anything else and Tim had been skittish and extremely withdrawn if Tony happened to come too close to him. Both of them had fallen asleep while still trying to work though the map coordinates

When Ducky and Gibbs had checked on them an hour later, they had silently shut the laptop down and helped a completely zonked out Tony settle down on the bed more comfortably. Jethro was placidly lying at Tim's feet, waiting for his master to need him. They'd been careful to leave Tim lying where he'd fallen asleep sitting back against the headboard. Ducky had merely made sure he was comfortably supported with extra pillows supporting his tender back, neck and fragile ribs. Both men knew that it was one part of his body that was still giving the young man hell even though he'd stopped mentioning it after the initial day of his release from the hospital.

The Team Leader had worried that while Tim was exhausted and complacent enough now to accept falling asleep in close proximity to Tony, the younger man would most likely not react well when waking up in such a situation after what he'd just been through. It was a risk they were taking, simply because no one had the strength to wake Tony or move him to another room. Thankfully, the bed was a king size and Ducky had been quick to fill the space between them with a mountain of pillows. Gibbs had also realized that Tim hadn't taken his pain meds in over four hours before he'd gone back to bed and was going to wake up in a lot of pain because of it.

With that concern still in mind, Gibbs had set his alarm clock to go off at the same time as usual, intending to run interference when needed; or hopefully, get Tony up and moved after he'd gotten some sleep under his belt. When his alarm had gone off at 5, he'd jumped up and gone down for coffee, stopping to check on his boys on the way. He'd felt his heart stop when he looked in and saw only Tony asleep on the bed. Tim was nowhere to be seen, neither was the laptop. The latter realization settled him down, since he knew that the missing laptop meant Tim was working somewhere in the house where he wouldn't wake anyone up. Something seemed off about the scene before him and the Team Leader found himself taking a second look. He could see no sign that Tim had even been there at all. _Just how much sleep did the young man get after that last check he'd done on the two boys at one?_

As he'd gotten closer to the kitchen, Gibbs had sniffed the air appreciatively as he'd smelled the fresh brewed coffee and poured himself a mug of it just the way he liked it and found himself enjoying the first couple of sips before setting off to locate Tim. Having been to Ducky's new house countless times since the older man's life had been so drastically altered with the passing of his mother and was in much more need of friendship and companionship than he'd readily admit, Gibbs had known his way around the brownstone quite well.

Seeing that Tim wasn't in the kitchen or the living room and knowing his youngest agent's penchant for impeccable manners would keep him out of any room deemed private even by its' appearance, the boss had realized that he'd only had a few more places to search. Looking out the back door it was plain to see Tim wasn't out in the open back yard, but Jethro was. The dog was guarding both the yard and the porch, alert and ready, his head resting where he could alternate his gaze between the gate and the door. _Was he always like this?_

Gibbs had been surprised to realize that the only place left for Tim to be was the tiny basement. Surely with his physical injuries still giving him hell, the young man couldn't be very comfortable in the one place that was smaller than Gibbs' basement by a great deal. Heading back to the kitchen, enroute to the basement, he hadn't been able to help but hope the young man was at a better place within himself today than he'd been yesterday. It would have been a positive sign that he hadn't heard any tell-tale signs of the nightmares he'd expected to still be hounding Tim, IF he hadn't seen the reason to believe that Tim hadn't slept very well or very much to begin with. Opening the basement door, it was suddenly clear why the house was so quiet even with Tim wandering through it in the very early pre-dawn hours.

Sitting just two steps down from the top of the stairs, his back to the wall, the laptop open on his lap, sat Tim, his eyes had been blankly staring off in the direction of the far wall of the basement. His troubled look had only partially covered the unadulterated exhaustion and pain that fit him like a second skin at that moment and had spoken volumes of why Gibbs hadn't heard any of Tim's restlessness or wandering through the house. It was just as he'd figured. Tim obviously hadn't even slept much more than the time he'd been out of it before Ducky and he had taken the laptop from him and made sure he was comfortably situated on the bed.

Gibbs didn't know what upset him more. The fact that Tim's restless night hadn't woken him up, or the knowledge that Tim was hiding things like this from him, along with everything else he knew the young man was keeping locked up tight about what he'd been through that night. Footsteps overhead had broken through his thoughts and when he finally pulled himself together, he noticed that they had obviously disrupted Tim's as well. It didn't take long for Tim's attention to go straight back to the laptop though and he was soon typing away without acknowledging Gibbs' presence. The boss left it alone, merely adding that most unlike-Tim behavior, to the ever-growing list of things he was beginning to be concerned about where this young man was concerned. Wordlessly, Gibbs had returned to the kitchen to get Tim some coffee and try to get breakfast started so Ducky wouldn't have to take care of it all by himself.

Now that the semi-quiet breakfast was over and Ziva had gone out running, actually taking Tony and his shadow with her, Tim returned to his work; succumbing to the world of the computer searches, willingly losing his focus with the here and now in exchange for the tunnel-visioned search in cyberspace.

He was still fighting through the constant pain in his badly bruised ribs and ailing body but tried desperately to ignore the 'in your face' reminders of this horrid nightmare. He pushed himself to keep going knowing that he'd find where this bastard was if it was the last thing he did. The team leader watched silently as Abby attempted to sit next to Tim ten minutes later and help him with the search, only to see Tim stop what he was doing, look at her briefly while appearing to offer an apology and stiffly lumber to his feet and walk away.

Needing to stretch his legs and find the space and room to try to breathe as freely as his body would allow him to, so that he could escape the cloying atmosphere of the house, Tim headed for the backyard, escaping into some play-time with Jethro. It wasn't that he was ungrateful for their care and concern or their willingness to stand by him; but, right now Tim couldn't handle being in close proximity with anyone. It was something that he'd failed to understand about himself until last night; he'd been too wrapped up in getting back on his feet, putting everyone on high alert and being cautious in what he let the boss or Ducky in on.

Until last night when he couldn't sleep worth a damn, he hadn't had time to focus on what all of what had been done to him, had done to him. Now, it was all he could think about. Tim knew he really needed to get his thoughts together before he hurt someone on the team without even meaning to. Even saying something wrong to them or accidentally lashing out at any of them with his pent up anger was a risk he wasn't willing to take. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that.

He smiled softly as Jethro came running up to him and he awkwardly stooped down to reach for the ball that his faithful friend had claimed as his own. Tim guessed that it had once belonged to the corgi's that Ducky's mother had kept, but the M.E. hadn't minded. After about fifteen minutes, Jethro finally started to tire and much to Tim's relief, the happy canine padded over to where Tim had managed to sit on the ground, flopped down in a heap and rolled over. Tim fought through the pain and reached down and offered his canine companion the belly-rub he always looked forward to at the end of their time together. The young man knew his beloved dog's behaviours too well and waited for the moment when the german shepard would roll onto his belly, sit up and look at his master longingly for the gently nuzzle behind the ears and the hug that always soothed both of their souls.

As he sat there gently scratching behind Jethro's ears, Tim was hit by a wave of turmoil and bitter grief at the full scope of what had been done to him, what had been taken from him and what he feared he'd never get back. Truth be told, he couldn't sleep anymore without being tormented by vivid recollections of being so ruthlessly struck down for the sole purpose of being taken against his will just to have some stupid need for petty vengeance forced on him.

He was trying his level best to hide how deeply the personal nature of the whole ordeal was affecting him from everyone. He had to because the one thing he didn't want, was to be seen as weak and unable to function because of some thugs' brutal revenge. The memory of being ruthlessly taunted with his own words coming back at him in such acrimonious tones over and over again while being stripped down to his boxer shorts had left him feeling not only helpless but unworthy of the position he held as a federal agent sworn to defend the innocent.

The bitter memory of the doctor informing him of his litany of injuries flashed through his mind.

_You have a total of 36, matching sets of incisions in your legs, beginning on your extreme upper thighs and continuing all the way down to the tops of your feet. You will need to keep those injuries clean to prevent infection. None of them were deep enough to require stitching. _

_Your attacker did manage to land a hit or two to your face and in turn causing minor trauma to your nose resulting in bleeding and swelling, but somehow managed not to break it. That in itself is another small victory. _

_Your chest and ribs are severely bruised, but again you are most fortunate that none of your ribs were broken or even cracked and no internal organs were injured beyond slight bruising. _

_The area at the small of your back is healing quite nicely but we will keep it covered for now. _

The knowledge that his horrible experience had been even worse than that by their ability to render him unconscious and do God only knows what to him, only served to drive the painful belief of his incompetence to be an agent home like a stake through the heart. The deliberate 'trophies' left on his body purely out of spite and the need to show Tim just how much power they'd had over him, left him with heart-wrenching emotions he didn't even want to admit. _Oh, God! No one has even told me what was done to my back! The one time I asked, Ducky wouldn't tell me. _

_"My back. He did something to my back. Tell me."_

_What the hell did they do? _All of these thoughts, realizations, unanswered questions and memories were spiraling his emotional overload dangerously close to that edge he'd been teetering on. He felt as though the whole ordeal had taken so much of the person that Tim had been and ripped out of him and thrown out of arms reach. He just hadn't had time to think about it until now or admit what had happened. In short, he was struggling to deal with everything and he had no idea what to do to rectify it. He needed to figure out a ways to get back those pieces of who he used to be before they were lost forever. If he allowed himself to be honest, he'd have to admit he was scared to death that it wasn't possible to get them back at all.

That made him weak, in the eyes of the team, he was now the weakling they'd always treated him as; and he knew it. Each of whom was a rock in their own rite. None of them ever allowed themselves to let go in front of anyone and always hid their true feelings. None of them ever shed a single tear in front of the others. _Why the hell should he?_ It would only take yet another piece of who he'd tried so hard to become away from him. That would be the final straw for the young man who no longer felt like he was man enough for the job he'd earned so long ago.

Tim felt his eyes prickle with tears that he didn't want to shed as his mind filled with the thoughts that supported the emotions already boiling up within him. But the more he tried to be stoic and hold them in, the more his eyes filled until the tears were streaming down his face. He buried his face into Jethro's fur and sobbed knowing that his dog wouldn't pass judgement or think he was weak or undeserving. It had been that thought that finally broke through the dam of emotions and allowed the river of inner turmoil to get out.

_He wasn't weak! He wasn't! He just needed the time to find a way to accept the things that had been done to him and then figure out how to lock them away where no one could see them and until then, it was a given that it would affect him. and until he could learn to live without the pieces that had been taken from him, he was sure things would be out of synch for him. How was he supposed to stay strong until then with the bastards who'd done this to him still roaming free? When he knew everyone thought so much less of him now? When he WAS so much less of a man now?_

Jethro whined from where he sat, sitting still for Tim and seemed to know that his master needed this from him right now. Tim lost all care of where he was or how long he was letting go while he was trying to hide this part of himself from the people he cared about the most.

Gibbs watched from the doorway as his tormented, troubled and hurting agent gave in to the need to let it all out. The boss couldn't help but feel thankful Tim was allowing himself this avenue of release, even if he was only allowing his canine friend be the one to help him through it. Gibbs couldn't help but respect Tim's stubborn intent to keep it all to himself, to not drag his teammates through his inner hell. And although, it wouldn't help them be able to be there for him with him holding out on them, it was Tim's right to handle it however he could. Gibbs knew, he'd do it the same way if he'd gone through what Tim had.

Turning from the doorway before he became noticed and took Tim's right to privacy away from him, Gibbs was startled to find Ducky standing just behind him, also watching what was going on out in his backyard. Together, they silently trouped back to the kitchen.

"Gibbs? Where's Tim? He barely let me sit next to him for a minute and he ran off. That's so not like him!" Abby cried with worry as she met the older two men in the kitchen.

"He needs some space, Abbs. Leave him alone."

"Why don't we fix ourselves a fresh drink and move this to the front porch, it's quite lovely outside at this time of day and we'll be able to watch for Anthony and Ziva's return." Ducky suggested

Finally, worn down to the point of barely having the energy to carry himself upright, Tim let go of his poor tear drenched dog and lumbered to his feet, his pain filled breathing hampering his movements. Wiping his eyes on his shirt, he swallowed hard and forced himself to clear his head of anything he'd been thinking out here.

_Huh, What else is there to think about? Mom and Dad. Sarah. Oh, God, what if that lunatic went after them and I have no way of knowing? I can't call them. They'll hear my voice and know something's wrong and I can NOT talk to them about this. Email! Right. Whew, thank goodness that's an easy fix. At least something is. God, I'm so tired and I still hurt everywhere. Would that I could sleep long enough to get away from this bone weary exhaustion, I might actually stand a chance of getting back on my feet even if I don't deserve my job anymore!_

Tim slipped back into the house, noting how quiet it seemed. Surely Tony and Ziva weren't still out running? He needed to email his family and he needed to get some sleep but the safety of the team was still paramount and that meant he needed to make sure everyone was okay. A house this quiet with all of them in it wasn't very reassuring. Trudging to the kitchen where he suspected Ducky, at least, to be, he was surprised to find it empty. Looking around, he noted that the coffee pot was only half- full but still on, while the steam was still coming from the tea pot as a sign that it had just recently been turned off.

He felt reassured that his team couldn't be too far, still, he needed to continue looking for them, needing to see for himself that they were all okay. Hearing the murmur of voices coming from beyond the kitchen window, he went over and looked outside. It was with a sigh of relief that Tim noted that all of them were in fact sitting on Ducky's front porch, safe and sound, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Thankfully, emailing his family didn't take long and neither did hearing back from them. Painless and quick. They were safe and were alerted to be on their toes. Funny how he old standard 'crime rate's up' excuse for precaution still worked so well. He was glad when that worry had been eased from his mind.

Tim walked back to the bedroom where he'd found himself waking up in the same bed as Tony earlier this morning and recalled how hearing the soft breathing of another person in close proximity to him had scared the living daylights out of him. It hadn't been until he'd opened his eyes and realized that not only was the room bathed in the soft glow of a low wattage lamp in the corner; but there was a considerable mountain of pillows between himself and the person from whom the breathing was coming, that he'd managed to calm down enough to think straight in that moment. Taking the time to assess his surroundings, he'd noted that the other person in the bed was Tony. _He probably thinks I'm a bigger wuss now than I've ever been. Hell, I couldn't even handle him sitting anywhere near me last night while we worked on tracking Barrett. Yeah, hell of a way to treat your big brother, Tim!_

Even as he leaned against the headboard clutching a pillow, his thoughts about how he'd treated Tony came back to him once more. It seemed like he couldn't do anything right these days. Breathing out a deep sigh of exhausted frustration, Tim closed his eyes hoping things would get better soon before the team turned their backs on him in disapproval and disappointment. The last conscious thought that crossed his mind was a silent prayer that the ghosts and memories would stay away at least for a little while.


	13. Chapter 12

Eerie silence pulled him from the depths of slumber that had finally made it past the dreadful dreams to the layer of nothing in which his sleep had prevailed peacefully for the first time since this whole ordeal had been heaped on him. Waking sluggishly, he wiped at his bleary vision in an effort to clear it. Again, the silence drew his attention, almost as if taunting him with the promise of something not being right.

_Where was everyone? How long had he been sleeping?_ Looking at the bedside clock, he was horrified to see that it was well past noon. _How the hell had he managed to sleep that long? Hadn't it just been going on seven when he came back in here to try to sleep? _

Knowing he was beginning to panic, Tim deliberately calmed himself down took a minute to assess how he was feeling. Realizing that his breathing was slightly less painful than it had been when he'd laid down, set his mind a little at ease on that concern. The pain from the rest of his injuries also seemed to have eased and for that, he was grateful. He stiffly got up and headed for the kitchen to check on the others and get some caffeine in him. Reaching the kitchen, he was pleasantly surprised to find Ducky sitting there, seemingly lost in thought as he enjoyed his cup of tea.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep for so long." Tim apologized as he walked over to the coffee pot and helped himself to a fresh cup, knowing the M.E. would jump up and serve him if given half the chance. There was no way Tim was going to let the M.E. wait on him like that.

Ducky smiled and waved a hand in dismissal of Timothy's apology. "No need, young man. As difficult as it has been for you to find rest right now, no on begrudges you for it when you are able to find it."

"Meaning not even Gibbs is pissed that I've just missed the 1st two hours of work."

"Nor should he be, Timothy. In fact, I'm certain that Jethro would be quite angry if you had forced yourself to get back up to report for work without that much needed sleep."

Tim smiled as he recognized the truth of the M.E.'s words. While being known for being the hard-ass on the job, Gibbs was also known for kicking their asses when they were so obviously exhausted they couldn't stand up straight but refused to stand down and even Tim had known that no one missed that about the state he'd been in earlier.

"Tell me, Timothy. How are you feeling? Are your ribs still causing you significant pain?"

"They have eased off some." Tim admitted, deliberately not mentioning anything else.

"That does not sufficiently provide me with the information I need. Let's use the old method of grading it from one to ten, shall we?"

"Okay. Yesterday was probably a solid 11 but today, I think they're down to a 10." Tim admitted quietly as he stared at his coffee. "Were you going in today, Ducky?" he asked hesitantly instead. "If you were, I can be ready in fifteen minutes and we could ride in together if that's okay? I'm not even sure they want me to go in, but I know we have to get that creep off the streets and Gibbs did say I could do the searches to find him." Tim's uncertain yet hopeful tone surprised the M.E. but he kept his reaction to himself as best he could.

"That would grand, Timothy. Shall we ride in your splendid chariot of leisure?" Ducky encouraged with a smile in hopes of sending the re-emerging uncertain Timothy that the young man had outgrown years ago, back where he'd come from.

Tim smiled for a minute before he realized just how easy it would be to target them in that uncommon car. Of course, Ducky's Morgan was just as unique and equally as easy to target. _Oh, hell!_ "Any word on Barrett?" Tim asked as he nearly choked on the guy's name, his tone once again, uncertain and soft.

"Not as of yet, Timothy. Go on, take your shower and get ready. I'll call Jethro for an update."

Tim nodded and swallowed the last of his coffee and headed back to the room he'd been using and the call of the hot shower he needed.

As soon as the young man left the room, Ducky dug out his phone and called the Team Leader.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Jethro, any news on the hoodlum that targeted Timothy?"

"_Not yet, Duck. How is he?"_

"He seems to be in slightly less pain this morning, Jethro. He is getting ready to come to work as we speak but anxious about how to get us there. I believe Timothy is worried that either of our vehicles makes splendidly easy targets."

"_Yeah, He's right. Remember, you've got two agents outside your door. I'll send a third one to pick you two up, let the other two be your tail."_

"Do you really believe that's necessary?"

"_You expect me to take a chance with either of your lives, Duck?"_

"No, Jethro, I would never find it acceptable to put you in that position." Ducky reproached him gently. "I do wish to warn you, this seems to have knocked something from Timothy's self-confidence. From what I've seen, he has suddenly begun to question his place on your team, Jethro. He was rather hesitant about come into work today; as if he wasn't sure he belongs there any longer."

_"After the morning he's had? Needs to cut him some slack. Give him time, Duck_."

"Yes, I agree with you there, Jethro."

_"Your driver will be there in twenty minutes."_

"Thank you."

"_See you when you get in."_

Ducky sighed as he headed to his room to finalize getting ready for work. He sincerely hoped this whole dreadful ordeal would soon be over for them all, but most especially for Timothy. But judging by what he and Jethro had witnessed outside earlier this morning, that ending would be long in coming for the agent who had been so unexpectedly and unfairly targeted . The young man was, as Jethro had already said, keeping things so closely wrapped to his soul that it was tearing him apart, taking away pieces of himself and the M.E. feared they'd see very little of the old Timothy when all was said and done.

* * *

><p>Gibbs snapped his phone shut and looked around at his team, not surprised to find them watching him, waiting for an update on their teammate. "He'll be here in thirty minutes. Don't forget what I said earlier."<p>

Ziva and Tony exchanged glances, both of them instantly recalling the boss' words to them as well as Abby and Jimmy, not thirty minutes ago:

_**Flashback**_

"_Gibbs, is something wrong? Is that why you've told us to meet you here in my lab?" Abby asked with worry._

_Closing the inner door to Abby's lab and locking then inside, all cloistered around the desk, Gibbs shook his head. "No, Abbs. Just want you all to hear this and I'm only gonna say it once." The boss looked at each of them in turn, waiting for them to meet his glance and nod in understanding. When he had all of their attention, he continued:_

"_Don't have to remind you this was a personal vendetta against McGee. Important thing for all of you to remember here is that he is just as much aware of that as you are but, he's the one having to live through it."_

"_So, what you're saying, Boss, is that we shouldn't talk to him about it or push him to talk about it." Tony offered as clarification._

_Gibbs nodded in agreement. "No jokes or hazing about it either, Tony." _

"_Boss, I wouldn't." Tony defended himself._

"_I know that. Doesn't mean McGee will be remember that right now."_

"_Right. Okay. I promise, I'll remember." Tony's tone left no doubt he'd keep his word._

"_Gibbs. What about what happened earlier?" Abby asked sorrowfully._

"_It's like I told you, Abbs. He needs space. Don't crowd him and do not make him feel bad for needing that space. But whatever you do, don't coddle him either."_

_All of them nodded in understanding and agreement even as the boss opened the lab door back up and shooed them all back to work._

_**End flashback**_

Tony and Ziva seemed to be working in tandem as they both dove back into their work now without another word, neither wanting to be the reason Tim felt uncomfortable coming in to work after the events of the past few days. Still it was no surprise to hear Gibbs tell them to go get some lunch for everyone as the thirty minutes he'd said it would be before Tim and Ducky got there were almost up.

Understanding the boss wanting Tim to be able to come in without feeling as if he was under a microscope, the two agents did as they were told and took off. As soon as they were gone, Gibbs laid a folder on Tim's desk with a note on it. Then he, too, left the squad room, but going only so far as the break room.

* * *

><p>The ride in to the Navy Yard had been a nearly silent one as Tim wrestled with his now ever-present self depreciating thoughts and Ducky felt it unwise to push him to open up. The M.E. knew the young man was undoubtedly nervous while still being anxious to get the culprits off the streets.<p>

Walking into the squad room, Tim felt a momentary flash of disappoint that it was empty, until he realized that it felt less suffocating like this and then Tim couldn't help but smile as he sat down and noted the file on his desk with the note on it in the boss' unmistakable scrawl.

_McGee - Find what we missed the first time._

Again, a smile lit his face, albeit temporarily, as he powered up his work station, taking the time to read through the file as he waited for the computer to run through its regular routine firewall checks and be ready to work. By the time the boss had returned from the break room, Tim was in his zone, content and busy, all thoughts, physical reminders and worries of what he'd just been through, as well as thoughts of not belonging on this team, forgotten; at least for the time being

Gibbs smirked while hiding behind his coffee cup and silently settled back down to work at his own desk, leaving Tim in his zone without disturbing him. Ducky had given him the run-down of what had gone on earlier with the young man and the scale they wre using to measure how he ws doing. The boss was fully prepared to nip the problems the M.E. mentioned, in the bud, when and if they surfaced. But, not until then because to bring any of it up out of the blue would be reason enough for Tim to believe in the doubts and less than accurate things he was thinking now.

No, this needed to be dealt with in the right time and place and here and now definitely wasn't it. As the elevator dinged and Ziva and Tony arrived with lunch, they took in Tim's tuned out work mode and smiled. This was normal. This was more the Tim McGee they knew and loved.

With a small shake of his head, Gibbs forbid either of them from disturbing their teammate. Waving them off to go take Abby and the others their lunch, the boss knew they'd come back wanting to at least get Tim to stop and eat. But, Ducky had already told him that Tim had already eaten so that was a plan that wasn't designed to work out. He was fairly confident that Ducky would nip that problem as soon as they arrived in Autopsy with Jimmy's lunch. Besides, it was fairly certain that the M.E. wanted to talk to the others to see how they were faring as well.

Feeling secure that this was one problem that had been taken care of, Gibbs quietly munched his sandwich while he dug back into his work, still leaving Tim in his zone, content and productive; just like the Federal Agent he had been before this had happened. Hopefully, the young man would get that before the day was out.

The boss hated that Tim was letting this horrible experience rob him of who he'd worked so hard to become. Still, he'd have to proceed with extreme caution if this was to be stopped before it catapulted out of control and cost Tim more or cost them the young man.

Shaking his head at the less than pleasant thought that had just hit him in the head like a sledgehammer, Gibbs let out a sigh of frustration. Suddenly, the _**ding**_ of the elevator disrupted the quiet of the squad room and Gibbs felt his eyes drawn over to it to see who had stepped off of it. The man who stepped off seemed awfully familiar to the Team Leader but still he hadn't recalled the name before the Agent escorting the visitor had arrived at Gibbs' desk and announced too loudly that Mr. Hardy had requested to speak with Agent Gibbs.

Frowning at the Agent's less than tactful manners, Gibbs looked at him and told him he could go back to his work, waiting until the rather ill-trained young man had gone back to the elevator before he turned to Darryl Hardy. "What can I do for you, Mr. Hardy?" Gibbs asked the older gentleman while casting his eyes briefly over to Tim

Tim was no longer in his zone, having recalled hearing Gibbs mention the man's name to Fornell in their phone conversation earlier in the day. This was the nosey neighbor from Barrett's town and he'd come all this way for a reason_. Had he come to help them locate Barrett? _

"Agent Gibbs, I came to talk to you about what happened to your agent."

Gibbs stood up behind his desk, as Tim seemed to shrink behind his, embarrassment and shame nearly radiating off of him. Walking out from behind his desk, the Team Leader gestured for Darryl to go with him, glancing at Tim as he did. "Hey."

Tim looked up at the boss, his eyes pools of shame and apology.

"C'mon." Gibbs ordered quietly, pointedly ignoring what was obviously running through Tim's mind. He wasn't about to have this conversation behind Tim's back and he hoped that by including the young man in this conversation, it would help him understand that the only one doubting where he belonged or his right to be here, was Tim himself..

As Tim stood up, Darryl Hardy looked at first the young man and then at the Team Leader. "I do apologise. That was rather inconsiderate of me. Please forgive me."

Gibbs pointed at Tim to let the older man know that it was the youngest of the three that he needed to be offering the apology to.

Before Mr. Hardy could offer the apology to Tim, the younger man let him off the hook with a small thin smile and a few words. "It's okay."

Gibbs glared at Tim. It was NOT okay and Tim needed to stop being such a pushover. Seeing the boss glare at him, Tim gave him a look of apology in return and sent his eyes to the floor as they continued walking to the stairs to find a conference room in which to talk. As they walked, it occurred to Gibbs that Vance would really go off if he were left out of this. Rather than call the boss into this, he chose to handle that problem after the fact, believing his agent's right to dignity and privacy in dealing with the continued repercussions of this, superseded Leon's desire to not be the last to know what was going on.

Settling into their seats, Gibbs got right to the first question that had already occurred to him. "Mr. Hardy, You're here because of Tyler Barrett."

"Yes, Agent Gibbs. I am."

"Okay. Care to tell me why would you come all the way down here to D.C. instead of saying whatever you need to Sherriff Barrett? I understand he's actively cooperating with the FBI in searching for his brother and cousin."

"I don't trust that family. Tom was alright till he let his criminal, bigoted brother back on the force."

"Doesn't explain why you didn't just talk to the FBI about what ever it is you're here to say." Gibbs pushed. "It's their case, not ours."

"Agent Gibbs, Agent McGee. I came here because I wanted to help you get those Barretts off the streets and I don't think that will happen unless you listen to what I have to say. I told you four years ago that those Barrett's never listen to me. I wasn't about to waste my time trying' to talk to Tom Barrett now."

"Alright, what is it you came here to tell us?"

"I know where they're hiding. And before you get started on how I'm getting in the way of a Federal Investigation, you have to know that I'm doing no such thing. They never asked me if I knew where they were. They only asked me if I'd been threatened by them or if I feel like I'm in danger. The answer to both questions is no. Doesn't mean I'm gonna sit back and let them get away with what they've done or stay running' free to think they got away with it so they can do it again!"

"You know I have no choice but to bring the FBI into this before you say anything else. Like I said, it's their case. "

"Agent Gibbs, I don't understand. Why is it their case if it happened to your agent?"

Looking at Tim, Gibbs nodded at him in the direction of the phone and Tim nodded back as he stood up and stepped out to make the calls he knew Gibbs was asking him to make, to Fornell and to the Director. Gibbs had been dead serious when he'd told Tim he wanted nothing to screw this up. Tim was glad Darryl Hardy had shown up since the tracking he'd tried to do last night hadn't panned out.

Once Tim had stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind himself, Gibbs turned on Darryl. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Tyler Barrett's not known for keeping his trap shut but his cousin Tony's worse. Word is that both of them have let it slip that they got to have some fun 'roughing up a fed who thought he was too big for his britches and had made Tyler look like an idiot three years ago or so.'

Gibbs' anger surged but there were questions that needed to be answered so he bit down on it and did his job. "Why would they do that if they wanted to get away with it?"

"Too much drink, too little brain." Darryl told him as if the older one-liner would answer the question.

"Hmm. Alright. If you don't mind, I need you to sit tight until Agent Fornell gets here."

"I'm not going' anywhere till I've said everything I've come to say.I'm in no hurry."

"Appreciate it. Shouldn't be too long." Gibbs reassured him as he slid a pitcher of ice water toward him and set a clean cup there as well before standing up and stepping out to check on his agent.

* * *

><p>Out in the hallway, Tim stood ramrod straight, too nervous and uptight to move. Seemed like no matter how hard he tried, this whole nightmare was pulling his life apart more and more every single day. Hopefully, before the end of the day, Barrett and his stupid cousin would be in custody and he could breathe easier and possibly think about getting his life back into some semblance of order before everything got stripped from it irreparably.<p>

"You okay?" Gibbs asked as he took in Tim's uptight posture.

"I'll be fine." Tim answered quietly, believing he wasn't deserving of the boss' concern.

"Wasn't the question, McGee." Gibbs growled.

"Do you need me in there or will that hurt the case?" Tim changed the subject with his firm question that let his boss know where his priority was.

"Go on back to your desk. As soon as Fornell and Vance get here, I'll be back down" The boss agreed.

Tim nodded and headed back down the stairs and back to his desk, his back straight even as his eyes remained glued to the floor as he walked.

Gibbs sent his eyes to the ceiling in an effort to clear his head and regroup. He breathed out a sigh of aggravation. "Damn it."

"Hope that's not on my account." Vance's voice came from out of the blue as he approached the room from behind Gibbs.

"Nope." The Team Leader answered glibly as he looked over at his boss while the man headed toward the conference room door.

"I'll take it from here, Gibbs. I know you don't want this investigation tainted with any hint of anything improper anymore than I do."

Gibbs headed back down to the squad room without another word to the contrary.


	14. Chapter 13

Try as hard as he could, Tim couldn't get his breathing under control. Between the shock of seeing Darryl Hardy again and hearing what little he'd had to say; his mind had already recharged the painful thoughts of earlier this morning and it seemed as if his sore ribs were joining the conspiracy against him as they began hurting in earnest. The combination was working overtime to render Tim unable to maintain his mental equilibrium.

Taking one look at his youngest agent as soon as he got back to the squad room, Gibbs issued the necessary order without wasting any more time. "Go see Ducky."

Without a word of argument, Tim slowly got to his feet and headed to the back elevator to do as he'd been told while Gibbs picked up the phone and called the M.E. to read him into exactly what had just taken place with the youngest member of this team. Even Gibbs knew that the way Tim was reacting right now had very little to do with physical exertion.

Once inside the back elevator, Tim pulled a page out of Gibbs' playbook and flipped the switch for the elevator, bracing himself as the machine settled into its' off position. With grim determination, he pushed himself to steady and calm his breathing, taking deep breaths, slowly letting each one out before taking in the next one, until he'd fully calmed himself down and felt in control again. Only then did he take the next step and stomp down on everything that had brought the near-panic attack up in the first place. It was several disquieting moments of solitude later before Tim reengaged the elevator and took himself on down to see the M.E.

"Ah, Timothy!" Ducky exclaimed cheerfully. "Are you all right, lad? I was expecting you several minutes ago. You didn't have any trouble along the way, did you?"

Tim smiled softly, both at the M.E.'s concern and the irony of the truthful answer to his questions. Taking a moment to school his expression with more backbone, he finally offered the older man his answer.

"Ducky I'm fine. Thank you." He deliberately dodged the bigger question put to him and held on tight to his brave front for the answer to the other one.

Ducky's welcoming cheer turned to a frown at Tim's deliberate avoidance of the question regarding trouble as well as his obvious white lie regarding how he was doing. "I see. If that were true young man, Jethro would NOT have sent you to me and he most certainly would NOT have expressed his concern for you to me as he has done."

Duly chastised, Tim hung his head in shame. Putting on a brave front was not supposed to hurt those who cared about him. It was supposed to protect them from the crap underneath he was trying like hell to keep from them.. More guilt settled over him like a thick blanket.

"Do you wish to tell me what happened earlier?" Ducky asked with much more calm and concern now that he could see Tim's genuine remorse. He hadn't doubted that the young man would feel bad and didn't want to make it worse for him.

"I'm losing my grip is what happened." Tim muttered half under his breath in complete frustration and self incrimination.

"Poppycock!" Ducky said angrily.

"Huh?" Tim asked in confusion as he glanced up at the now obviously angry M.E.

"Timothy McGee, I will NOT listen to you spouting such nonsense about yourself! You have been through a very traumatizing ordeal and no one, I repeat, NO ONE is expecting you to simply get over it! It is to be expected that you will be affected by what has been done."

Looking down at the floor, Tim whispered. "Thanks, Ducky."

Ducky blew out a frustrated breath. "Timothy, come, let's go into my office where we can sit more comfortably." As he propelled Tim into the office and pointed him toward the chair by the desk, the M.E. continued speaking. "Come. Sit down. Now I want you to listen to me. I have no doubt that what was done to you the night you were kidnapped and mistreated, has damaged your opinion of yourself. It has also robbed you of your belief that you are a competent agent and a necessary part of Jethro's team just as much today as you were before this dreadful ordeal took place."

Tim's silence was all the proof the M.E. needed to know he'd hit the nail on the head and was on the right path with this conversation that seemed overdue.

"Timothy, I'm afraid none of us can give any of that back to you. It is something that you will have to believe for yourself. All we can do is be here for you when you need us. But that will require your willingness to let us in, dear boy. Continuing to try to hold it all inside with only your faithful canine companion to comfort you and dry your tears, will not alone, be enough to help you through this."

Tim wiped at his suddenly blurry vision, the wetness he found there, unexpected and traitorious. Knowing now that Ducky had seen him fall apart in his back yard, touched a chord in Tim's soul.

Ducky held his tongue at this point because he knew Tim needed the space to speak if he felt the urge and the peace and quiet if he didn't.

Drawing in a deep breath, Tim let it out in a rush as he struggled to get the words out that would hopefully help the kindly older man to understand Tim's predicament.

"I…I..can't… I don't… want them…knowing….details…." Tim tried to explain with a voice that suddenly wasn't able to reach its' normal volume or depth.

Hearing the pain behind the soul-wrenching, reluctant admission tugged at the M.E.'s heart strings.

"And they will not know them, Timothy. Of that you may be certain. Neither Jethro nor myself shall take that away from you. Although, I'm quite certain you already trust us that much. However, that does not mean you should be forcing yourself to hide yourself away and struggle through this alone."

"They wouldn't understand." Tim admitted his reasoning without raising his voice.

"Ah, I see. Because they remain unaware of the details of what was done to you, they would not be able to fully understand how it has affected you. That does make sense. However, that should not exclude Jethro or myself from being able to help you through this minefield you've been thrown onto, Timothy. You've only, but to ask it of us. We are not mind readers."

"I know." Tim offered softly.

"But you feel as though this has suddenly deemed you less deserving of our help or concern than before." Ducky reasoned out verbally.

Tim looked up in shock. _Had Ducky taken up mind reading despite his claim to the contrary? Or is he really just that good at psycho-analyzing people now?_

Now it was the M.E.'s turn to smile softly. "I can see it in your eyes, Timothy. Now would you be so kind as to let me in on why it is you have come to believe these things about yourself?"

The gentle question chock full of compassion and genuine concern seemed to open the door to Tim's reluctance; allowing the difficult words to come forth. "Wouldn't have happened to anyone else on the team. Only to me. It was stupid. Careless, stupid, idiotic, blind, deaf, dumb, stupid, careless, helpless, tied up, tossed in the trunk of a car."

Tim was getting wound up, his words coming faster and faster, his voice getting louder and louder as he gave voice to everything he'd gone through in short expressions of anger and self-appointed disgust.

"Blindfolded, smacked, kicked, laughed at, burnt, cigarettes, lighters, punched, knocked out …stripped naked,…cut up…"

By this time, Tim had lost perception of where he was, as the bitter, angry tears trailed down his face, the levy behind his eyes long since broken through as his hurts were finally exposed. But it was the final words he spoke, whispered from the depths of his soul that allowed his deepest hurt to be seen by the light of day, "probably raped, too."

Dropping his head, Tim gave up the fight to stay strong, letting the tears flow at will now, his shoulders shaking from the force of it all. For countless minutes, he was left alone to let it all out. Just when he felt as though he were being pulled under, a grounding hand on his shoulder pulled him back. Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, he fought to regain control, of his breathing, of his thoughts, of his emotions and of the toll it had all taken on him.

The silence permeating the room now with the passing of Tim's emotional storm, was actually becoming nerve wracking quite quickly , sending Tim almost immediately back to those inner thoughts that had worked to fill his mind and drag him down since this whole nightmare had begun. _Weak, stupid, careless... thwak!_

"Ow!" Tim sputtered in shock.

"Knock if off, Tim." Gibbs quietly ordered him. "Don't even think about giving in to that crap again. You hear me?"

Tim remained frozen in shock. He'd had no idea the boss was even in the room. _When had he gotten here? Who much had he heard and seen?_

"McGee, look at me." Gibbs instructed him without raising his voice that still resonated with concern.

Tim did as he was asked and looked up at the man, seeing for the first time, that Ducky had relegated himself to being a silent spectator at this point and it was Gibbs who sat next to Tim, waiting for him to comply with his instructions. Somewhere along the way, Ducky's office door had gotten closed as well.

"Didn't Ducky promise you that that didn't happen?"

Tim nodded, too embarrassed to say the words.

"Why is it you still think it might have?"

"I don't know, I can't explain it, it's just that…."

"That unknown period of time that you were rendered unconscious while in their hands, Timothy?" Ducky asked gently

"Yeah." Tim answered quietly.

"Timothy, there is no medical evidence that you were subjected to that." Ducky vowed yet again.

"Tim. Listen to me. We wouldn't lie to you about any of this. If there's no medical reason to believe they did that then we have to believe they didn't. YOU have to believe it." the boss reasoned.

Tim swallowed hard and looked up at the man he trusted with his life, glancing over at the M.E. and back to the boss. "Okay."

"Ducky's right. We can't give you back what this has taken from you; what you feel like you've lost. But we can and we will be here for you. All you have to do is let us know. But, you gotta let us in!"

Tim nodded silently, too overwhelmed to speak. His eyes found the floor.

"One more thing, McGee." Gibbs said seriously as he stood up and looked the younger man straight on.

Tim looked up at his boss one more time.

"You tell that voice in your head that he's wrong. Tell him I said so!"

The young man smiled softly.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows in silent question of whether or not Tim was agreeing with him.

Finally, Tim answered, "Thanks, Boss."

Nodding, Gibbs patted Tim on the arm, turned and glanced at Ducky, and left the room, leaving an emotionally and physically wrung out Tim alone with the rather upset Medical Examiner.

Seeing Tim let go of what had been bothering him, and being witness to the depths of the emotional toll it had been taking on him, wounded the gentle older man's soul. Ducky had been grateful beyond measure when Gibbs had stopped listening to the conversation over the phone and stepped into the room to be there for his agent when he needed him most. It had done the older man's heart good to see Gibbs immediately shut the office door and step up next to the seriously troubled young man and remain there while he let everything out into the open.

Realizing Tim was so lost among the current of the raging storm that he'd lost perception of where he was and what was going on around him, had made Gibbs' presence even that much more vital to the young man's ability to come back from it without having lost any more of himself to it.

"Come, Timothy, your body is still healing. I'm certain that your ribs are hurting terribly by now. You've had an exhausting day. I want you to get some rest.

Now, it was Tim's turn, once again, to smile softly at the concern. "Thanks, Ducky. But I've already had a nap today. I HAVE to get to work so I need to get upstairs." Lumbering to his feet, Tim headed out of the office, only to stop and turn in the doorway. "Thank you, Ducky. For everything,"

"You are quite welcome, young man. All I ask is that you kindly do Jethro and I the courtesy of remembering what we have said to you here, hmm?"

"I will." Tim vowed as he left the room, headed for his desk up in the squad room and whatever work awaited his return.


	15. Chapter 14

Gibbs returned to the squad room to find his other two agents in mid stride of an all-out paper ball fight. He practically growled when the final weapon came to rest at his feet but in a rush of comprehension, the boss realized his team needed to burn some energy and do some serious venting of emotional overload from what had happened to their teammate and friend. After all, it definitely affected all of them, which meant they all needed to find a way to come back from where ever it had taken them as personal beings whose sense of security and fairness had been seriously trifled with.

With cold cases being the order of the week, Gibbs figured that they Agency could do without the MRCT for a couple of hours; especially if it gave the team back some of their fighting spirit and caution for their fellow agents. Without further thought, he told his two antsy agents to go spar it out in the employee gym and grinned as he warned them that he'd be right behind them and they'd better be ready for him.

Exchanging happy smiles, Tony and Ziva headed out, only to stop and turn back with questions strewn across their faces. Taking one look at them, the Team Leader headed them off at the pass.

"McGee's got work to do at his desk. Go on!"

He couldn't help but shake his head at the small, relived apologetic smiles that they offered for questioning his orders. They moved out, heading in the direction of the employee gym so that they could burn their energy off and hopefully, be more productive when they got back. Most of the way was traversed in silence, but it was inevitable that one of them have something to say before too long. Sure enough, just before they reached the gym, Ziva broke the silence and asked a question that was burning deep within her

"Tony, do you not find it worrying that we have not seen McGee since we left Ducky's house this morning?"

"Nah, I expected it." Tony replied nonchalantly.

"Oh? And why is that?" Ziva asked as a little calmness found its' way back into her soul at the response she hadn't been expecting.

"Poor kid was hit all at once by everything he went through. It hit him all pretty hard last night, since he'd finally stopped worrying about our safety or what he needed to tell Gibbs about it." Tony replied with a pointed look that was meant to remind her as painlessly as possibly that she, too, knew exactly what Tim was going through and why he wasn't around them much today.

Ziva looked at her teammate with narrowed eyes as she thought on what he was saying without words. Suddenly, as if the light had gone on inside her head, she offered him a tiny, thin smile as she answered his silent challenge to get it. "You are right, Tony. It was to be expected. I hope being held against his will like he was does not hold his soul prisoner." She lowered her eyes to the floor as they walked. The fleeting thought ran through her mind and she was unaware she had actually said the words under her breath. "Like it almost did me."

Tony barely heard his friend and frowned as he reached out and snagged her shirt sleeve with his fingers, cautiously drawing her back as they both stopped walking. "Ziva."

"No, Tony. Do not make this about me. We must focus on helping McGee through this. I am sorry. I did not mean for you to hear that" She instructed firmly as she gently pulled away from him and resumed walking.

"He'll find it, Ziva." Tony offered with his own firm conviction, hoping that his faith in McGee would give her some peace of mind.

"What is it you believe he will find, Tony?" she asked without looking at him or stopping in her tracks.

"The strength he doesn't realize yet that he has to get through this and land on his feet again."

Ziva stopped and looked at him with her eyes shining. Tony thought she was starting to cry but saw the smile that lit her face and felt his heart lift slightly. "I think that is one of the nicest things I have ever heard you say about McGee, Tony. "

"Happens to be true." He blew it off and carried on walking to the gym, leaving her staring at his back for only a second before she quickly caught up to him. Together they hurried to warm up for their sparring match against the boss and found themselves slowly relaxing as the activity kept their minds busy enough, to forget; albeit momentarily.

* * *

><p>The squad room was empty when Tim got back to it, but two more case files had made their way to his desk. He grinned when he saw them sitting underneath the one on top, where the note from Gibbs was still sitting from earlier. Tim read the note again and sat down in his chair so that he could get back to work, happy to have things back to something that resembled the normality that he so desperately craved. It was Strange how much lighter he felt now; how much better he was now that he was back at work. Even his ribs had stopped giving him trouble. It truly did feel like everything weighing him down had finally broken their bonds and he had shed them like a second skin he hadn't needed. Finally comfortable in his own skin once again, he dug back into his work with gusto.<p>

"Hey, Probie!" Tony greeted from half-way across the room as he and Ziva came off the elevator nearly two hours later. "You finally decided to quit hiding out and come play with us again?" Tony teased. "oof!"

Tim grinned at the smug look on Ziva's face and looked at Tony knowing that he had just been at the receiving end of Ziva's elbow in his stomach. "What was that for?"

Tim turned and winked at Ziva before turning back to Tony. "What's the matter, Tony? Did you miss me?" Tim teased back.

"Actually, Probie, yeah. I did." Tony demeanor turned serious making Tim swallow hard at the blatent honesty and emotion coming from the older man.

"Thanks, Tony. I'm okay now. What about you?"

Tony nodded and settled down into his chair. "I'm fine, McHide and Seek. So…did ya miss me?"

Tim couldn't stop the laughter that escaped and nodded his head. "Nicknames and all, Tony."

As the three of them smiled and returned to their work, Gibbs walked back into the squad room, hiding his smile of contentment behind his coffee cup as he settled in behind his desk. He looked around at his team and knew that things were back on track once more. It was a hard-won smile, with a very trying day from the start. What with first Darryl Hardy's appearance and dancing around what needed to be said, then Ducky's success at drawing Tim out, capped off just a few minutes ago, with Fornell's phone call filled with bad news.

Apparently, even with whatever information Mr. Hardy was able to provide, the two younger troublemaking Barretts' still couldn't be found. All in all, the taste everything left in his mouth was pretty sour but the icing on the day had been a surprise; a damn good one, but none the less a surprise. It had come in the form of Tony's teasing of the team Probie and his unexpected admission and the calm way in which that teasing had been returned by Tim, went a long way to setting things upright for this team once more.

* * *

><p><em>Two Weeks Later<em>

Two weeks! Two whole weeks of normality; or at least as close to normality as the team could get while they were still bunking together at Ducky's for safety's sake and still waiting for the capture of Tyler and Tony Barrett. Caution was still being taken seriously and none of them left to go anywhere alone.

Ever since he'd come back from Autopsy that unusual day, two weeks ago, Tim had been almost like his old self, with only a lingering unreadable expression in his eyes to show for the nightmare he'd just lived through. No one questioned the change and no one talked about the ordeal. They just took the change in stride and kept going, back toward that which was normal for them. Normal was good while it lasted.

Thankfully, the team being stuck together under these difficult circumstances managed to bring out some strong camaraderie, rather than animosity. They'd even found a few moments here and there of team bonding which is more than were used to on a normal given day. Everything in their free time revolved around fun, games, movies and everything that repeatedly and deliberately led the conversations and focus away from any hint of serious discussion.

It wasn't long before this brought forth glances of concern that soon grew longer and filled with worry from Ducky and Gibbs as they both figured out and adjusted to the unspoken messages that were bleeding off of Tim. Since his meltdown where he'd managed to get everything off his chest, the young man _seemed_ to be completely done with what had happened that fateful night. While they understood what he was trying to do and why, they certainly didn't agree with it. Despite that, they knew that they were unable to force Tim to talk about it further. That was why, they chose to simply keep an eye on him instead so that they could make sure he was sleeping and eating since there was little else they could do about the matter.

In the case of Tyler and Tony Barrett, there was little more the team could do but wait for the FBI to locate them and apprehend them. Every day, as the team worked their way through the stack of cold cases, they spent time mentally hoping the duo would turn up somewhere, like the bad pennies they were. Needless to say, the stack of cold cases was remarkably reduced by the time day three rolled around.

As Tony breezed into the squad room and got comfortable in his chair, on the third Monday since the whole nightmare had started, he couldn't hold himself in check any longer; he'd been so good for two weeks now and just had to let one rip.

"So, McBoring, what can we _not_ talk you into doing after work today?"

Tim smiled apologetically, offering only genuine words to match in response. "Tony, I'm sorry."

There was no explanation forthcoming about his answer and Tim knew that none was needed. The past two weeks had been a life-saver for him and an unusual, but invaluable bonding experience for the team as well. Every night they weren't working on a case was a night spent in group stress-relieving activities that ranged and alternated from board games or movies to card games or storytelling. The fact that they had been on cold cases all this time was something that was just recently starting to register with them.

While Tim would join in for a while, it was never for longer than an hour before he'd quietly excuse himself with an apology and a thanks for their efforts. Nothing more had been said about it. The team left him alone about this now regular nightly ritual and Tony had refused to tease him about it…until now. Besides, given the overall way things were for them as a team at the moment, none of them had any trouble leaving well-enough alone; not even Tony.

Tim knew the team had already formed their own conclusions of his nightly withdrawal from their group activities. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had simply put his disappearances down to understanding his need for extra sleep until his ribs stopped bothering him and interfering with his normal breathing during the day. What they'd been too engrossed in their nights of fun and games to notice, had been the pattern that had emerged and continued on through the entire two weeks they'd been huddled together at Ducky's.

Every night, not thirty minutes after Tim's departure from the group, Gibbs would also disappear, silently and without notice. Since he was well known for his stealth abilities, no one spent a whole lot of time talking about where he might have gone, the few times his absence was noticed, as none of them wanted to be on the receiving end of his head slaps when he heard what had been the topic of conversation; since they all knew he always found out anyway.

The Team Leader had watched, along with the all- observing Medical Examiner, as continued to look at Tim with great scrutiny, looking for additonal signs of how he was really doing. Neither had forgotten that since that first day Tim had broken down in Autopsy; that beneath the outer façade of calm and being at peace with himself, there was still a large part of him that was struggling with what had happened. This was evidenced by the unsettled discord that the young man couldn't shed enough to hide it completely. It always remained just barely visible in his eyes

His outer shell was intact and for those who didn't look very hard or know him well, everything had returned to normal. The rest of his team weren't looking beneath the surface since they weren't used to Tim having hidden layers of himself. They did as Tim had been hoping and expecting them to do by taking him at face value and accepting what he gave them. In essence, they'd helped him regain the majority of his footing and it showed.

It was no secret that despite this lingering daily reminder of his ordeal, they were all happy to be at least temporarily free of the weight of his ordeal, since Tim himself, seemed to have shed the situation almost instantly for the most part. The only thing left behind seemed to be the trouble he had with getting a good night's sleep. This was why no explanation was needed now for Tony's question which would not bring a different answer than what had been expected. And so it was that none of them had paid attention to the fact that every night shortly after Tim would leave the group; Gibbs would follow in his wake – to keep an eye on the young man as he took refuge – not in sleep as the others thought – but in Ducky's basement, where he could think in peace and quiet and try to put this all behind him once and for all. Every night the two would sit in companionable silence, each alone in his thoughts but not alone in the room as they took the silent strength from knowing the other was there.

It was with this knowledge in mind that Gibbs sat silently through the team's antics with each other now, relishing the near-normal-ness of it all.

"No sweat, Mcparty pooper." Tony threw back at him with his saucy grin. "Although, I have to say that I think you're just afraid to face me at the card table, my friend."

Tim smiled. "You know Tony? I'll accept that challenge. Tonight. Seven O'Clock, sharp! Don't be late!" Tim warned with a grin as he turns toward his own desk. No one seemed to notice the slight tremor in his voice.

Gibbs saw Tim's mask slip as he turned away from his team, catching a glimpse of the less than pleasant thoughts still simmering beneath the surface and stood up to get his wallet. As he walked around his desk, he signaled for Tim to go with him and took him out to get coffee in the hope of getting the young man to talk to him about what ever he'd been struggling with these past two weeks.

The Team Leader accepted that knowing that pushing Tim could do more harm than good, and so they silently strolled to the coffee shop and left the silence open for whichever of them chose to break it.

It remained unbroken_._


	16. Chapter 15

Gibbs came back from his coffee run with Tim, both of them silently settling back behind their desks and turning their attention back to their work, almost in synch with each other. Tony and Ziva exchanged worried glances but returned their attention back to their own work without a word spoken. The squad room seemed unnaturally quiet with only the tapping of keyboards and scratching of pens on paper to give proof that anyone was even there. It seemed as though the cloud of Tim's unresolved case was hanging over all of them now like a dense fog with no sign of relief in sight. When this negative pall had returned, no one could pinpoint, but all of them felt it.

Time dragged on, with only the ringing of the Team Leader's phone that shattered the peace and quiet with its' unexpected ringing. Only at that point did any of them even think to see what time it was, blinking in shock to realize they'd worked through the entire afternoon and it had gone on seven in the evening.

"Yeah, Gibbs." The boss answered his phone absently, his mind still on his work. As he listened to the voice on the other end, he cast his eyes around the room at his team, each now doing their best to keep working and not be eavesdropping. Wiping his hand tiredly over his face, Gibbs finally spoke quietly into the phone.

"Give me 5 minutes. Make damned sure they're escorted up. Two agents." He hung the phone back up on its' cradle , stood up and spoke to his team. "Wrap it up! All of ya's get on outta here. Take Abby and Palmer and go somewhere and sit down and eat a decent meal. Ziva, you keep an eye on Abby tonight. DiNozzo, McGee's bunkin' with you. I'll keep an eye on Ducky and Palmer. "

The three of them stood up but seemed to get caught in a wave of slow motion, as if realizing they were deliberately being sent away from something very important. No one even commented on the boss' decree of where Tim was spending the night.

"Did I stutter?" Gibbs demanded, hoping his tinge of anger would spur them to move faster. There was no way he wanted them in on this.

Spurred into action by the anger in his tone, the trio did as they were told and beat a hasty retreat. Gibbs couldn't miss the look in their eyes, but stood by his decision as the unchanged look on his face testified to. Tim especially, had an odd look in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what Gibbs was doing and why and hated it. Still the boss stood firm.

Watching the trio leave the squad room, listening in the quiet left behind, for the arrival of the back elevator and hearing it open and close its' doors, Gibbs breathed out a sigh of relief. This was one of those times he was beyond grateful that he had a team that obeyed him so devoutly; without question on simple matters like this. He hoped Tim would understand he was doing it this way for the young man's own good. Maybe if he got Ducky's input on this, it would be easier to believe it was the right way to handle this.

Picking up the phone, he made a call. "Need you in Observation Room 2" Hanging up the phone, he made a quick beeline for the elevator at the front of the squad room, arriving as it opened to reveal the expected group of men. "Agent Fornell, Interrogation Room 2. You know where it is." Ignoring the other two men in the group, he turned to the two security guards who had escorted the trio up to Gibbs and spoke again. "Escort this group to that room. Stay outside the door til I can get someone to relieve you."

"Yes, Sir." They answered as they began heralding the group away.

Watching the group leave, Gibbs had to stomp down on his rising anger. He hadn't even attempted to look either of the bastards who'd taken his agent and beaten him as well as inflicted acts of torture and pain just to get their kicks at his expense. It was so wrong it twisted Gibbs' gut that someone in law enforcement would cross the line like this, not once but twice.

Before he could think on it any further, the elevator arrived again. This time when the door opened up, it revealed the other innocent victim in this case, Sherriff, Tom Barrett.

"Agent Gibbs." The man greeted somberly. "I can't tell you how sorry I am about this."

Gibbs clasped him on the shoulder for a brief moment. "You turned them in, Tom. Brought them in yourself. That says enough for me."

A sorrowfully silent walk to the observation room ensued and it was with a heavy heart that Gibbs ushered Tom into the observation room. Gibbs stood shoulder to shoulder at the window with the law enforcement officer who couldn't be held responsible for either his brother's or his cousin's behavior and criminal actions but was obviously struggling with the cold hard truth of what his law breaking family members had done and not just to anyone but to a fellow law enforcement agent..

The MCRT Team Leader knew, it had been hard enough on this man when his brother had broken the law while claiming to be doing his job three years ago. But, now, when he'd been given a second chance, he'd broken federal laws, harmed a federal law enforcement officer out of retribution and anger, and dragged his cousin into it as well. And if that hadn't been bad enough; he'd gone on to deliberately hide out to evade arrest for several weeks, interfering with a federal investigation.

Before Gibbs could say anything, Tom spoke again. "I don't know what to say." The man's humble tone struck a chord with the former Marine.

"Not your fault. You tried to do what you could for your family. You gave him a second chance to play it straight; abide by the rules. Can't hold you responsible for his choices, Sheriff." Gibbs told him, deliberately addressing the man with the law enforment title he'd earned and looking him square on. "No one blames you for any of this."

"Thank you. But I can't help but think me giving him that second chance, even if it was at a lower rank, helped set this in motion. I never meant to give him the power or opportunity to do something like this."

"You didn't. Listen in for a while, maybe you'll be able to hear something you need to hear." The Team Leader suggested as he hit the button that let the sound from the adjoining interrogation room into the observation room.

The door behind the two men opened as they watched the silent Tyler Barrett and his cousin Tony Barrett sit in stony silence at the table in Interrogation. Neither even attempted to look at the other.

"Jethro, you wanted to see me?" Ducky asked as he came to stand just behind the younger man.

"Duck. You remember Sherriff, Tom Barrett?"

"Yes, I certainly do. We do seem to keep meeting under rather unpleasant circumstances, don't we?" the M.E. greeted the visitor with compassion.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am about this. How is Agent McGee?" Tom replied guiltily.

"He'll be fine." Gibbs said firmly with a glare in Ducky's direction, silently ordering him not to say differently.

"Yes, our Timothy is quite resilient. Jethro, whatever happened to your rule of not letting suspects stay together?" Ducky replied and managed to genuinely change the subject as he was most curious as to why the Team Leader was choosing to handle this interrogation in a way that was in direct conflict with his infamous rule .

"Sheriff Barrett deserves to hear what these two have to say about this." Turning to the taping technician in the room, Gibbs stepped over to him as he glared at him as he spoke to him with steel in his quiet tone.

"I hear one syllable of anything said here being repeated and you'll be out of a job faster than you can take your next breath."

The terrified young man nodded. "Yes. Sir."

"DON'T call…."

"Honestly, Jethro, you know very well that confidentiality is part of his job description. Scaring him so is most unnecessary." Ducky gently admonished into his friend's ear.

Gibbs glared at the M.E. and promptly drew him aside into the furtherest corner of the room, speaking to him with quiet anger that was unmistakable. "You wanna have to be the one to explain to McGee how the very details of what these two did to him that he's been keeping locked up tighter than a drum, gets to be gossip around the agency, Duck? You know damn well we're gonna be hearin' these two sproutin' off about what they got to do to him. The whole reason I need you up here is to hear this and get a better idea of what McGee's NOT dealing with while he's busy acting like everything's fine now, still keeping us out."

"Jethro, he has let us in." Ducky reminded his friend gently.

"You and I both know this isn't over for him." The silent message in his eyes unmistakeable: _I won't let this destroy him.__ And I'm countin' on you to help me make sure of that!_

"Yes, I do see your point, my friend." Ducky agreed quietly.

"Jethro, what are we waiting for?" The long silent FBI Agent finally reminded them he was in the room.

"For them to start singin', Fornell." Gibbs quipped seriously.

"You really think they will? They've been silent statues all this time."

'Oh, they'll sing, alright.'

* * *

><p>Tony, Ziva, Abby and Jimmy walked with Tim out of the building as a unified group, taking the elevator together that led straight to the parking garage. The almost sad atmosphere looming over them wasn't a complete surprise but it was unpleasant. The peace and quiet and tranquility had only lasted two and a half days. That cryptic phone call to Gibbs and the Team Leader's strange reaction to it seemed to have stripped that jovial spirit from all of them. What they'd finally gotten back after a hellish couple of days, had once again been ripped away from them and it felt terrible.<p>

Finally, Abby couldn't stand it any longer. "Will somebody tell me what the hell's going on? What the hell's got you guys so damn quiet and …."

"Abby. Abby. Stop. Let's go get dinner and just enjoy the rest of a rare night off, alright?" Tony was quick to muscle into her tirade before it became too much. "Let's go in one car, alright? I'll even let you drive."

Ziva's eyes flew to Tony's face and her eyebrows arched up in shock.

Tony shook his head at her minutely. They'd talk about it later.

"Me?" Abby questioned in shock. "Tony, you never let me drive you anywhere."

"First time for everything, Abbs." He threw back at her as he looked at her with a grin and handed her the keys.

The others all chuckled; all but Tim that is, as his mind was busy thinking hard. Tony, Ziva, Abby and Jimmy all stopped and started at the young man who was obviously troubled about something what had just happened upstairs. In fact, it looked as though he was a lot more upset about it than he was letting on.

Tim was upset; extremely upset as the memories of previously spoken words seemed to float back to him now and fit themselves into the puzzle that seemed just out of his grasp.

"_What about McGoo?"_

_"He's staying with me. We're not leaving until this jackass is in custody and whoever helped him do it is too."_

_Soon as they're in custody, you're going home with Tony."_

"_Give me 5 minutes. Make damned sure they're escorted up. Two agents_."

_DiNozzo, McGee's bunkin' with you tonight."_

"Hey! McGoo!" Tony called only slightly louder than his normal talking tone.

Tim startled and looked over at his teammate. "Huh? What?"

Looking over at Ziva, Tony let go of Abby and walked over to his teammate. "What's going on, Tim?" he asked him quietly.

Tim looked at Tony for a long silent minute, trying to figure out which way to go with this; truth or evasion so no one would catch hell for what he was about to do. Finally, he decided, no one else needed to be anywhere near the repercussions of this. Closing his eyes for a minute, he opened them back up and answered Tony. "Nothing, Tony. I'm fine. I just realized I forgot something I need up in my desk. You guys go on with going out to eat. I I'll meet up with you." Tim headed back away from their cars toward the elevator they'd just vacated.

"McGoo.."

"Where you going, Tim? Abby whined.

"You guys go on. Have fun. I'll catch up. Honest." Tim offered as slowly kept walking toward the elevator.

""C'mon, let's go." Tony said unhappily to the rest of the group.

"Tony? What's going on?" Abby asked worriedly.

"Nothin', Abbs. Probie's just getting something from his desk."

"Come along, Abby, we are all hungry and McGee is safe here at work." Ziva urged as Tim stood waiting for the elevator to arrive back down and open up.

The others continued on to Tony's car and headed out, all equally unhappy about leaving Tim behind, but realizing Tim would have fought them and been most unhappy if they'd fought him on it. He would meet up with him later, he'd promised.

They hoped he'd be alright.


	17. Chapter 16

**WARNING:** **WARNING **

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS BRAGGING OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR OF A PERSONNALLY VIOLATING NATURE

* * *

><p>"Jethro, how do you propose to get them to talk?" Ducky asked.<p>

"Ever known two troublemakers to be able to sit quiet for very long in the same room, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he looked apologetically at Tom.

"No, you're right, Agent Gibbs. They are trouble makers and they'll talk. Both of them get real antsy real quick-like." Tom was quick to agree without any trace of anger toward the NCIS Agent.

Sure enough in the next room over, Tony Barrett, a thinner, younger version of Tom Barrett was now pacing the room behind the chairs at the table, one of which, his cousin Tyler remained sitting at.

"Hey, will ya sit down already? You're pacin' is driving me crazy!" Tyler let loose irritatedly.

"No way, man, I aint' sittin' still for this! You told me we had nuthin' to worry 'bout! You tole' me we wouldn't get caught! What the hell happened Ty?" the younger man sprouted off angrily.

Tyler Barrett looked at his cousin cautiously. Of all the Barretts, Tony was the loose cannon of them all. Tyler still didn't know why he'd asked the younger unsettled family member to help him that night. Just like he really didn't know how they'd gotten caught. _What the hell had gone wrong?_ _Oh, wait. Now, he remembered. Tony'd insisted the two of them go out drinkin' and before it was all over, every person in the bar had been staring at them since Tony couldn't keep his mouth shut about what they'd done. Yeah, Tony and drinking had never been a good mix; definitely hadn't been a smart one._

"Answer me, Ty! What the hell went wrong?" Tony Barrett was yelling at his cousin now, the anger crackling in the air around them. "You swore I wouldn't ever see the inside of a jail **cell**! You promised me, Tyler!"

"Tony, settle down, will ya?" Tyler asked desperately as he glanced repeatedly into the mirror he knew was two-way.

"What the hell went wrong?" Tony seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating when Tyler finally got up and practically poured his cousin back into his chair.

" You're kiddin' right? You wanna know what went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong, you stupid idiot! You and your big mouth when you get drunk! It's your **fault** we got caught!"

"ME? Hell no, It wasn't me! I'll tell ya how we got caught, cuz. **You** got stupid! You and that stupid loud boat you made us use for a car that night! And you deliberately throwing him out on his boss' front yard! That was really stupid, Ty. You just had to try and humiliate the guy that much, huh? Kidnapping him and beatin' him after you yanked his pants off of him just wasn't enough for you, huh? I tried to talk you out of it. I told you it was going too far, that we should have just dumped him anywhere out of the way, but you wouldn't listen. You…" Tony Barrett was ranting now as he nearly jumped back up to resume pacing.

"Shut up." Tyler growled as he, too rose from his chair. With anger in his eyes, he approached his cousin. "I'm not the one spoutin' off at the mouth about it all cause I had too much to drink! You just remember that!"

"NO, Ty! I'm done takin' orders from you! I'm not goin' down for this! This was YOUR idea! YOUR plan to get revenge just because they were smart enough to catch you breakin' the law! Well, you got your revenge! You had your little payback with your taunting him while you stripped him! You threw your punches and you walked away! I don't want any part of this! Why the hell'd you think I drove us out to Aunt Mae's cabin to hide out, man? Can't believe you gave us up like this! We were set!"

"Got news for you, Tony. I wasn't gonna spend the rest of my life hidin' out! And your hands are just as dirty as mine now!" Tyler shot back angrily.

On the other side of the glass, Gibbs looked at Tom Barrett who promptly hung his head in shame. Gibbs walked around him, locked eyes with Ducky for a second and then with Fornell before walking out of the observation room silently; the FBI Agent on his tail.

Back inside the interrogation room, the two cornered country cousins were still facing off across the cramped space."No! No way man! I'll rat you out quicker than you can say your mama's name, Tyler!"

"SHUT UP TONY!" Tyler boomed. "Just shut your trap!"

Suddenly the door snapped open, startling both men into silence and causing them to jump. When it banged shut behind the two arriving agents, the two culprits twitched nervously.

"Sit down." Gibbs told them both with a deceptive aire of calmness as he walked in and sat down in the chair on the other side of the table without looking at either of them. Slowly, he made a silent showing of placing the folder down on the table in front of him, opening it up and perusing the contents in no kind of hurry.

Tony Barrett ignored Gibbs and kept pacing restlessly with the auroa of a caged animal while Tyler Barrett plopped his butt back down in his chair, refusing to look at either Agent.

Raising his eyes to look at the younger Barrett's pacing, Gibbs waited all of three seconds before his patience gave out. "SIT DOWN!"

"I suggest you listen to him, son." Fornell offered as he joined Gibbs at the table, knowing his friend would need help in holding it together until they'd gotten the information they needed.

"I'M NOT GOING DOWN FOR THIS! THIS WAS ALL TYLER'S IDEA! HIS PLAN! HIS NEED FOR REVENGE!"

Gibbs just arched his eyebrows at him again, not saying a word.

Tim was relieved the bastards who'd kidnapped him and mistreated him in such cruel and mocking ways were safely apprehended . He was also very pissed that Gibbs wasn't keeping him in the loop on his own case. Hiding behind his closed eyes for now, he worried what was being said upstairs; knew it was about him and knew it wasn't gonna be easy to hear. As he retraced his steps back to his desk and further still, back to the room he needed to be in, he bristled at the idea of being kept out of the loop that Gibbs always entrusted them to keep him in on. Why would Gibbs do this to him?

Without a second thought or hesitation, Tim hurried down the right corridor and almost froze at the door he wanted entrance to at the words that were being yelled so loudly he could hear them from out here in the hall.

"_I'M NOT GOING DOWN FOR THIS! THIS WAS ALL TYLER'S IDEA! HIS PLAN! HIS NEED FOR REVENGE!"_

With a burst of nerves, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside, stepping back so his back was to the wall in the corner behind the door. He couldn't see past Ducky and was that Tom Barrett standing at the glass? But the speaker was on from the Interrogation room and that was good enough for Tim. He closed his eyes and listened, praying this would turn out alright, hoping he would regain some of what was missing from that night in his memory, while witnessing, in a way, his boss go to bat for him with these bastards.

"That true, Tyler?" Fornell's deceptively calm voice came through the speaker. "Was all of this your idea, your plan, your need to get payback at Agent McGee because he was doing his job when he asked you to remove your trousers when he figured out that you'd broken the law three years ago?"

"You already know I did it. What more do you want?" Tyler demanded. "Yeah, it was my idea. You D.C. Cops think you're better than the rest of us. So what if I wanted to teach that faggot of yours a lesson!"

"So you talked cousin loudmouth here into helping you kidnap Agent McGee." Fornell said just to hear the jerk admit it on record.

"Yeah. After that it was easy as pie."

"Why don't you tell us just how easy it was?" Gibbs asked calmly as his eyes sparkled with unleashed fury.

"I already had access to his home address, the perks of being in law enforcement. Course you know that since you …. Well. All I had to do was spend a few days following him and learn his routine. Then all I had left to do was wait for him to stop at the store he always stops at and get busy locking his precious car and I pistol whipped him. For a Fed, he sure was stupid and not observant. He didn't even see me coming. Not another soul in sight and he still had no idea I was there. Pretty sloppy for a Fed! Always knew you big shots weren't as smart as you acted like you were."

Taking a breath and quietly letting it out, Gibbs pushed himself to keep a lid on his rising anger and keep digging for answers. "Then what'd you do?"

"That's where Tony here, came in. I needed his help to get the jerk into the trunk of my car."

"Go on." Gibbs kept pushing.

"We took him somewhere out of the way, so no one would hear us." Tony Barrett gloated, suddenly more interested in gloating than in keeping out of trouble.

"Where would that be? Out in the woods? In a deserted house? Where?" Tobias Fornell demanded sternly.

"My cabin in the woods out by the lake that no one goes to this time of year." Tony grinned like a feral cat.

"Tell us how you got him out of the trunk." Gibbs directed with quiet steel.

"Easy. Just knocked him over the head again. Had to make sure he wouldn't give us a hard time, you understand?" Tony answered hesitantly.

"What happened next?" Gibbs relentlessly pushed even further.

"Dragged him outta the car, carried him to the barn and tied him up" Tony answered as if what he had to say was common sense. "Wasn't about to take a chance that the faggot would fight or run."

"I'm interested in where you got the idea that this person that you've never met before is a faggot." Fornell asked casually even though he was highly pissed and barely holding on to his temper as he spoke directly to Tony Barrett.

"Just lookin' at his photo, man." The man answered defensively.

"Man, Tony, just shut up!" Tyler demanded.

"No way, Ty! I want them to know how stupid they are! I want them to know how easy it was to grab one of their own; how simple it was to knock him in the head with your gun, throw him in the trunk of that car and take him where no one could find him and do whatever the hell we wanted to to him! Man it was so much FUN tying his scrawny ass up to that support beam in my barn! But, I gotta tell ya, the MOST fun; oh wow, the most fun, was seeing him all stripped and helpless, his pants down around his scrawny little ankles. Man it turned me on!"

The guilty man's maniacal laughter filled the room as it bounced off the walls and rushed back at them, stoking the already burning fires of anger in their guts. But getting the whole truth out and on record trumped anything else and so they forced themselves to remain quiet and still and let the bastard keep spouting off.

"Man, I'll tell yait was such a rush! Oh, that's right, Ty, you missed some of the fun! I forgot, you weren't even there for my best moments with that faggot! Oh, man! Since you just stripped him while you made fun of him and then left, I decided to have some fun with him. I was so turned on, I couldn't help myself. When I got to make SURE he was a fag; oh, GOD, I was in heaven! Man, I haven't gotten off like that in years! That was the best ride of my life!"

Tony stopped bragging long enough to catch his breath. Before anyone could stop him, he was back at it again.

"Ya know, there's nothin more humilatin than being banged while you're stipped naked and oh, yeah, knocked out, too. I'd almost forgotten about that. Hell, that was probably why it was so fun, cause he couldn't fight back when he didn't even know what was going on! Aint't that a hoot! Oh, and then watching him wake up in all that pain! Watching him suffer through what—ever I wanted to do to him. MAN it was such a ride to hear him scream when he came back around and I was throwin' in some good ole-fashioned whippins on the tail end of that rough ridin' we had just done!"I coulda gone at it all night with his purty little …." Tony Barrett declared with the wide ugly grin of chesire cat; worse, the hunter who had defiled his prey, the glee on his face enough that both Gibbs and Fornell were hard pressed not to punch him through the wall.

In a move that shocked everyone on both sides of the mirror, Tyler Barrett jumped out of his chair and snapped his cousin up by the shirt collar and tossed him across the room, where he landed in a heap in the corner, cowering like a scared shadow.

"What the hell did you go and do that for you sick freak? You were supposed to watch him; not lay a hand on him! Damn it, Tony! You make me sick!" Tyler paced angrily, glaring every now and then at his cousin, Gibbs and Fornell completely forgotten.

Tony remained cowering, not even attempting to get up, his cousin's immense rage suddenly too much for him to handle

Suddenly, Tyler stopped in front of his cousin and reached down and grabbed his shirt again, hauling him to his feet and pinned him to the wall, his toes barely touching the carpet. Now in Tony's face, he growled. "What else did you do?"

Gibbs and Fornell sat back in passive anger as the cousins had it out. As far as they were concerned, they both had it comin to them so they weren't gonna interfere unless things got violent between them.

"W…wh…why….wo…wou…would….y…you…as…ask me that?" Tony stuttered

"I know you! What the hell did you do?" The heftier man replied with a definate growl in his tone.

"I was just havin' fun with him, Ty. You said the whole reason for takin' him was because he humiliated you, so I gave him a bigger taste of his own medicine than you did, so it'd be worth the trouble we went through, man!." Tony defended himself, suddenly no longer cowering, but now struggling to pull away from the older man, standing tall and self-righteous.

Tyler Barrett growled at the younger man in complete anger as he reached out for his cousin once more, grabbed hold of him and shook him like a bedraggled puppy before letting go of him and letting him drop back down to the floor in a heap and turned away from him.

"You weren't gonna do nuthin' to him! You only wanted to let him go after you got your payback! So, you landed a few punches on him while his pants were down around his ankles, Ty, so what? You never even aimed for anything but his face and his ribs, man! You left him like that, tole me to re-dress him and throw him back in the car! There wasn't no fun in that! We had us a chance to have some FUN! So, I took it!" The younger man shouted out as he lay in the floor where he'd been dropped, too winded from what he just had to say on top of what his cousin had just done to him, to get up.

As the bragging continued, Gibbs clenched his fists out of sight under the table while Fornell stood up and paced, too sick at heart and pissed to look at this bastard for another second

Tyler finally remembered the Agents in the Sitting back down he suddenly couldn't bring himself to look either of them in the eye, but he no longer had any fight left in him either. He was shocked to the core that his cousin had violated a person that way, a man, at that.

"Finish telling us about the 'fun' you had with him, Barrett." Fornell ordered as he glared at Tony still lying in a heap on the floor.

Given the chance to do some more bragging, Tony nearly jumped up off the floor, his backbone back in place. "Ah, why not. Figured while I had him good and naked, I'd see just how much I could make him scream.I've never had so much fun with a lighter before God, that fag can scream! It was beautiful! Poor little thing couldn't even handle a few touches from my cigarette or my lighter! Ya know, I only meant to do that once, just to see what his reaction would be, but then he had to go and scream and it was just such beautiful music to my ears, I had to have more of it."

The clueless man carried on, pasuing only to catch his breath once more before he began bragging again, having still more to say. " Only reason I stopped after a while is cause Tyler here was supposed to have been back and I knew he'd be pissed so I hurried up and dressed the fed's sorry ass back up; hated every second of that horrible job; but to see the trophies I left on him, man, it felt great!

"Which one of you cut him up?" Gibbs demanded, his voice barely controlled as it resonated with his quiet fury, his hands remained clenched in fists out of sight.

Tobias looked at his friend in silent surprise.

Gibbs ignored Fornell and stared at Tony Barrett, demanding an answer to his question.

"Oh, alright I did! I couldn't help myself, I tole' you I was havin' FUN! Once I started, I just couldn't stop. Guess, that was because he was awake for that too ! I got bored with the cigarette and the lighter and noticed my pocket knife when I put the lighter back in my pocket. It just came to me that I could really be serenaded if I tried using it on him, so I did. Man, he tried so hard not to scream it was HIL-ARIOUS! Especially, when he couldn't keep quiet any more and finally, just HAD to scream. Man, I tell ya, I love to hear that fag scream, It was intoxicating!" Tony bragged.

Gibbs stood up, his hands clenched in fists of rage, his eyes burning holes of fury into Tony Barrett. "SIT DOWN!"

The youngest Barrett in the room plunked himself down in the chair, all signs of glee wiped off his face.

With his tone unchanged, Gibbs spoke again into the now silent room, this time, directing his attention and his words at the older of the two guilty men before him. "Tell. Me. About. The. Note."

Neither guilty party had the balls to look him in the eye but Fornell's eyes grew wide at yet another new piece of information he was just now hearing about. The FBI Agent kept his mouth shut, though, since the last thing they needed was for these two bastards to get distracted away from admitting to everything they'd done. Seeing his shock at this new information wouldn't help their cause.

Tyler Barrett's eyes found the table and his shoulders slouched even further in. "I got carried away. Heat of the moment kinda thing. Ya know?"

"Oh,the note! That's right! I forgot all about that little piece of genius-ness!" Tony cackled, his eyes dancing with merriment.

"Don't. Say. Another. Word." Gibbs snapped off at the younger Barrett, in one word sentences with enough steel to forge a battleship

Looking at Tyler Barrett, who's head hadn't come up from his chest since he'd sat down, Gibbs felt no less anger; since this law enforcement officer had set this whole nightmare in motion for his innocent agent. But, he did feel better knowing this man wasn't the one who'd tortured and abused his agent while he had him. At least, he hoped that was true.

"Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure you got my point. Wanted to make you sure you'd learned your lesson." Tyler admitted reluctantly.

"And what lesson would that be?" Again with the barely held anger.

"Just what the note said."

"Refresh my memory." Gibbs ordered with no change in tone.

"You didn't read it!"

"Not in the habit of playing by the dirtbag's rules. Guess you forgot that."

Tyler shook his head in disbelief. _All that effort for nothing! Hell, not even for nothing! It had backfired on him! Man he was screwed!_

"Answer my question."

"I don't understand why you didn't read it. It was addressed to you, specifically."

Gibbs' eyebrows marched up to his hairline as he waited for the answer to his question. Ducky never had told him what the note said and he doubted that the M.E. had ever even told Tim about it. But, the last thing the Team Leader needed was for these two bastards to realize that.

"Simple, really." Tyler said quietly. "It just said that you're not as smart as you think you are or we would have never been able to pull something like this off." Tyler supplied sullenly.

"You do anything else to him?" Tobias asked.

The sudden silence seemed to echo off the walls, sending shivers of apprehension up the spines of the two guilty men. Still they remained silent.

"Tyler." Tobias spoke, knowing what Gibbs was thinking and realizing the man was too angry to speak.

Tyler looked up finally, his eyes pools of misery. "I swear, I never meant for any of what my cousin did to him, to happen. He wasn't gonna get hurt, cept the knock on the head and the couple a punches I threw at him. I was pissed. I'm sorry.I hadn't planned on the note. It just came to me and in the heat of the moment I acted on it."

"That would be easier to believe if you hadn't threatened his teammates and family." Gibbs told him with barely leashed fury.

"I wanted him to keep his mouth shut." Tyler defended himself.

"I've heard enough. " Gibbs warned. Opening the folder that sat in front of him, Gibbs took out four sheets of blank paper and two pens. "Write down, word for word, exactly what YOU did that night from the minute it had ANYTHING to do with my agent. Nothing more! This is your confession. Do Not Lie." Gibbs ordered in his quietly pissed beyond reason voice. "Don't leave anything out!"

"Then what?" Tony demanded sullenly.

"Then we'll talk about whether or not you get the needle or the shock treatment, smart ass." Fornell told him angrily as he and Gibbs walked out of the room and marched into the observation room , the door snapping back roughly as Gibbs burst through it angrily, his eyes and ears already fixed on the window between the rooms and the speaker still broadcasting what was said in the room. Fornell followed suite right behind him as the four men at the window stood in silence waiting to hear what else would be revealed.

Behind them, unbeknown to them all, sat a completely devastated Tim McGee. His world shattered with a new truth he hadn't been prepared for and didn't know what to do with. His mind already reeling in shock, he wasn't seeing or hearing anything anymore, hadn't heard anything after hearing that his screams of agony had been pleasurable for the man who'd violated him. His mind had retreated, hurt beyond reason and unprepared to deal with anything else.

_Figured while I had him good and naked, I'd see just how much I could make him scream. _

_When I got to make SURE he was a fag; oh, GOD, I was in heaven! Man, I haven't gotten off like that in years! That was the best ride of my life!"_

_Nothin more humilatin than being banged while you're stipped naked and oh, yeah, knocked out, too. _

_he couldn't fight back when he didn't even know what was going on! _

_God, that fag can scream! It was beautiful!_

_MAN it was such a ride to hear him scream when he came back around and I was throwin' in some good ole-fashioned whippins on the tail end of that rough ridin' we had just done!"I coulda gone at it all night with his purty little …." _

Unaware that Gibbs had even returned to the room or that the guilty men in the next room had once again begun speaking, Tim sat dazed and defeated, broken in spirit, alone as those awful words kept replaying themselves over and over in his mind.

Over in the interrogation room, Tony Barrett was still wound up and now he'd been set loose to pace the room once more. "Man, Tyler. That was hilarious! Did you see them freak OUT? You think they bought all that crap?" he crowed with glee.

"What crap, Tony?" Tyler demanded. "You tellin' me you made all that up?"

"Huh? Hell no, not all of it. Nah, I had my fun with my cigarette lighter and cigarettes on that fed but do you REALLY think I would defile my own body by screwing a man? C'mon, Tyler! You KNOW me better than that! I was just yankin' their chain, man! You know we don't believe in that stuff where we come from!"

"Damn it, Tony, you're still a freak and you stil need help!"

"What the hell, Tyler? You think you're better than me now?" Tony demanded as he jumped up angrily.

"No, That's not what I'm saying, Tony. But, you won't see me ever even joke about something like that. You better hope there's proof that you DIDN'T do what you just told them you did, cause you just added yourself some serious jailtime, cuz."

"Oh, shit." Tony muttered as he plopped his ass back down in the chair. "I didn't think of that, I was too busy yankin' their chain."

"Get your stupid statement written, jackass and shut the hell up, I don't wanna hear anymore. You're so stupid sometimes!" Tyler complained as he returned his attention to his own report and closed his mouth.

Gibbs reached up and turned the sound off to the next room.

"Oh, my God." Was all Tom Barrett could say.

"Not. Your Fault." Gibbs stressed to him firmly.

"Doesn't make me feel any better." The Sherriff replied sadly.

"Yes, well thank goodness, he was just feeding you false information about what he did to Timothy, Jethro. I am truly thankful that the hospital exam already verified that." Ducky offered in hopes of turning the conversation.

"Yeah, me too, Duck." Gibbs answered. "Think you can help him now?"

"I would like to have a chance to read their actual statements first, before I even attempt to help our Timothy, Jethro." The M.E. answered . "I'm sure you don't need me to remind you how difficult it was for the poor lad to be convinced no such horror had been perpetrated on him."

"I remember." the Team Leader assured him seriously.

"Yes, well, I am profoundly grateful you did not allow him to be here for this interrogation, Jethro." Ducky replied as he turned to leave. "Although I'm,...Oh, dear heavens, Timothy!"

Gibbs whipped around – and felt his heart drop to his boots.

_Tim!_


	18. Chapter 17

Tony looked at his watch as Abby and Jimmy were plunking quarters in the jukebox across the room in the out of the way diner Abby had talked them into going to. As his ears hurt with the twanging of the country music he had no liking for, his mind screeched to a halt at the comprehension that it had been well over an hour since they'd left Tim behind at work and there was no sign of him yet or even a phone call from him. Frowning, he plucked his cell phone from his shirt pocket and snapped it open, nearly stabbing the speed dial button for his missing probie.

"Tony? Is something wrong?" Ziva asked at his display of irritation. She'd picked up on it halfway across the room as she'd been returning from the ladies room, smiling at Abby and Jimmy's argument about music as she passed by them on her way back to their booth.

"It's been over an hour, Ziva. I knew I shouldn't have let him pull that stunt!" Tony replied as he snapped his phone shut to talk to her.

"Tony, what stunt?"

"C'mon, Ziva!" Tony whispered urgently. "We both heard Gibbs on the phone before he ordered us out of there in a hurry, hell even Probie heard him! McGee knew exactly what Gibbs was up to and he wasn't gonna go anywhere until he heard exactly what was being said by Barrett when they brought him in. You and I both know that's why he went back up to the squad room!"

" McGee knew that phone call was about the Barretts being brought in." Ziva agreed, her tone more normal and less cautious than Tony's. "I agree that is quite possible."

"Are you serious?" Abby asked in shock as she came up to the table. "If that's true, then why the hell are we sitting here? We should go back in there and be there for Timmy!"

"El Jefe ordered us to leave. Obviously, he didn't want us to have any part of it." Tony said firmly. Think it goes without saying that he's not gonna be too happy to find McGee there right about now as it is."

"Well, why would Gibbs want any of us there?" Jimmy asked unperturbedly.

"What the hell does that mean, Palmer?" Tony snapped.

"Tony, please. Do not take this out on Jimmy." Ziva requested as she attempted to keep the peace.

"What I mean, Tony, is what those men did, like Agent Gibbs said, was a personal attack against Tim. Why would Gibbs want anyone of us to listen in on something like that? I mean, look at how much room he's given Tim to keep everything to himself since it happened? Have any of us seen him fall apart? Seen him lash out in anger? When has he gotten any of what this did to him out? Frankly, I'm surprised he's still as level-headed as he is, since he hasn't let go of anything; no details; no emotional outburst; nothing. It's almost as if nothing happened."

"You could not be more wrong, Jimmy." Ziva said quietly.

"Oh, Ziva, I wasn't trying to judge or say what should or shouldn't be someone's reaction to that kind of situation, I just…" Jimmy sputtered guiltily.

"Relax, Gremlin, she gets it. We all do." Tony offered as a peace offering. "I'm sorry I snapped at ya."

"It's okay, Tony. I know you're just worried about Tim. I am, too."

"Me three." Abby sighed sadly. "Please, Tony, let's go back and check on him."

"No." Tony answered, bring forth instant disagreement from Abby.

"Tony!"

"Hey! The Boss said he wanted us to leave before this went down. I'm not bringing you into the middle of that, Abbs. Don't put me in that position with Gibbs. I'm not McGee. No is no with me, got it?" Tony announced angrily.

Wounded, Abby turned and took herself to the ladies room without another word.

Watching her leave, Ziva felt for her even though she agreed with what Tony had said. She wished he'd been able to say it without hurting Abby that way. She opened her mouth to say as much but Jimmy beat her to it.

"Tony. That was pretty mean."

"Yeah, Palmer. I know. I lost my cool for a second, there. I'll talk to her when she's had time to work through some of what I said. I might have been cruel, but it was still the truth." Tony replied quietly.

"Tony, I want to go back and check on McGee." Ziva stated calmly. She wasn't looking to argue, merely get Tony to compromise. She knew he wanted to check on Tim, too.

"Best we can do is call him or the boss or even Ducky. We're not going back in. None of us need or want to face the rath of Gibbs. We all know what frame of mind he's probably in right now, facing these bastards who did this to McGee." Tony explained calmly. "The fact that they've been hiding out for the past two weeks, is bad enough. If we go back in there when he expressly told us to go home, the roof will blow off the building."

"Fine. We will call him. But, first…" Ziva dropped off her sentence as Abby came back into view from the ladies room.

"Right." Tony got and headed in Abby's direction. Stopping to speak to her, the two of them soon diverted their steps over to a small unoccupied table and they sat down presumably to talk things out.

"You think he's okay, Ziva?" Jimmy asked as the two of them watched Tony and Abby from across the room.

"Tony always lands on his feet, Jimmy." Ziva reassured him without looking at him.

"I was talking about Tim." Jimmy replied quietly, his concern for the agent in question obvious in his tone.

Ziva turned her attention to the M.E. Assistant. "Oh. Right. Yes, Jimmy. I do believe he will be alright. He is tougher than most people give him credit for; including himself, according to Tony."

"Ziva, I know that I don't know what happened to you over in Somalia, but is … being held…captive….is it…?" Jimmy stopped, unable to articulate his words since he was deeply worried about causing Ziva's pain from her past to haunt her again, especially since he had no idea if it did or didn't still bother her to begin with.

Ziva took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She knew what Jimmy was trying to ask and she knew that he was as sensitive to causing people undue pain as Tim was. That was why she wanted to be able to answer his question and put his unease to rest as well.

"Jimmy, you are asking if being held captive is something one can fully recover from and live their lives un…" Now it was Ziva's turn to drop her sentence, since she as unable to find the word she thought fit what Jimmy was looking for.

"Scarred, I don't know, able to be who they were before." Jimmy took up where Ziva left off.

"Jimmy, no one can come through being taken against their will unscathed. Anything that was done to a person while in captivity only heightens that scarring. Anything more than that, I can not tell you." Ziva replied quietly, her eyes staring at the table in front of her while her hands rested around her water glass.

"I'm sorry, Ziva. I …" Jimmy stammered.

"No, Jimmy. There is nothing to be sorry for. I appreciate that you care enough to ask. I know McGee does as well."

"You know McGee does what, Ziva?" Tony asked as he and Abby reached the booth and silently slid into their seats.

"Appreciate that we all care about him a great deal."

"Time to see what we can find out." Tony offered as he pulled his phone back out and hit the speed dial for Tim.

"_Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Tim McGee. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Please keep in mind that due to my work schedule it might be tomorrow before I can return your call. Thank you and have a nice day."_

Ending the call, Tony frowned. It hadn't even rung. When it went straight to voicemail, a red flag went up for Tony. Quickly and without saying a word to the others, he hit another speed dial number and held his breath.

_"Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Hey, Boss. You seen McGee? He said he needed to get something from his desk, wouldn't let us wait for him. Said he'd catch up to us, but that was an hour ago and he's not here. His phone's off, too."

_"I got him, Tony."_

"Boss. Is he okay?"

_"He'll be fine. Just stick to what I told all of ya's to do you. Bring Jimmy back to Ducky's."_

"Boss, …"

_"Tony. "_ Gibbs breathed out on a sigh of frustration. He knew Tony was really worried and he knew the other man wanted to help his teammate. But, he could not divulge any information about what had just happened without ripping Tim's dignity away from him and that was something he refused to do. Ducky had promised Tim on his behalf that those details would remain unshared. Gibbs was not about to violate Tim's trust. But what could he tell his Senior Field Agent without doing just that?

"You said will be. Does that mean he's not right now?" Tony pushed for answers as the voice inside his head yelled at him that something bad had just happened to his probie. And Tony hadn't been watching his six. In fact, Tony had let Tim walk right back into that mess; knowing something big was going down up in the squad room. What the hell had Tony been thinking? Why the hell hadn't he stopped Tim from going back upstairs? Man, Gibbs was gonna serve his head up on a platter to Vance, he just knew it.

_"Just do as I asked, Tony. Ducky's – 30 minutes._"

"Got it, Boss." Tony answered as he snapped the phone shut and looked deeply into his water glass, almost as if he were trying to search for the way to disappear inside of it.

"Tony, what'd Gibbs say?" Abby demanded.

"He said for us to do what he told us to do. Especially you and Ziva. He wants you two going home – buddying up and getting a good night's sleep. I'm supposed to deliver Gremlin here back to Ducky. And since it's getting close to midnight, we're not feeding him any more food and he damn sure can't have any water!"

"Cute, Tony." Jimmy scoffed. The old jokes about treating him to the rules of the gremlins in the movie still tickled him. But at this moment, Jimmy could see that Tony was trying extra hard to insert the humor when in fact he was worried. Only working with Tony during Gibbs' hiatus for those four months some years back had given Jimmy enough of a glimpse into who Tony was for him to even make this connection with his behavior now.

"What aren't you telling us, Tony?" Abby demanded shrewdly.

"I'm telling you what Gibbs told me to tell you. That should be enough." Tony replied firmly in his warning tone. The seasoned investigator and former street detective was used to being obeyed when it came to things that involved taking orders from the boss; without having to divulge that information. It irritated him when the people he was charged with guarding and shepherding in Gibbs' absence, defied him or argued with him, simply because they weren't privy to all the facts.

"You're right." Abby gave up, having not forgotten the conversation she and Tony had just had about her own culpability in the facts of what he'd told her regarding her refusal to take no for an answer. "C'mon, Ziva. I'm not hungry anymore."

"Abby…" Ziva attempted to intervene.

"Ziva, just order take out when you get home." Tony suggested as he slipped her some money and looked at her knowingly.

"Alright, but you will let know what is going on!" she demanded quietly. This time there was no question involved. Her tone promised dire consequences if her words were not taken seriously.

"I will. I promise." Tony vowed seriously. His face was etched in worry, both for Abby's obvious need to know that Tim was okay, and for what Gibbs had been unwilling to say to him over the phone.

Nodding, Ziva gently ushered Abby out, as Tony and Jimmy accompanied them, with their eyes peeled for signs of trouble until the ladies had left safely ensconced in the cab Tony had commandeered and paid for. If anyone noticed his extra generous behavior, they wisely said nothing.

"C'mon, Palmer." Tony said quietly.

"Tony, what did Gibbs say? Is Tim alright?" Jimmy pushed now, knowing Tony's previous refusal to answer the questions stemmed from protecting Abby from whatever ugly truth waited for them in regard to what had happened to Tim.

"Gibbs said McGee would be fine." Tony admitted.

"Would be?" Jimmy asked worriedly as he got in the passenger seat of Tony's car

"Yeah. I know, Jimmy." Tony answered as he got in the driver's seat, turned on the car and pulled out into the light traffic, enroute to Ducky's house per Gibbs' orders. His brain could barely keep up with all the thoughts running around in viscious circles of concern, almost bordering on panic. It had to be bad if Gibbs wouldn't say anything.

_No, DiNozzo, you're forgetting what Jimmy said earlier. The Autopsy Gremlin's right, there's no way Gibbs would share anything one of them needed him to keep private_. _Oh, God! Just what had those bastards done to Tim that he wasn't talking about and why the hell hadn't Tony taken the time to think about this possibility before now? Why had the last two weeks been so wrapped up in getting things back to normal that no one had kept an eye on Tim and what he wasn't talking about? Oh God! Had he snuck back in to actually listen to the interrogation? Had he heard something he shouldn't have? But, wait, to do that, he would have had to. Oh, Hell no! Probie wouldn't do anything so brazen! Would he? Why the hell not, DiNozzo? You sure the hell would_.

"Tony, we're here." Jimmy said in a shaky voice.

Tony blinked and looked over at his passenger. "Something wrong, Palmer?"

"You could try driving without getting lost in your thoughts next time, maybe? That was really…"

"Sorry kiddo. Got a lot on my mind."

"I understand, Tony. Really I do. I'm just grateful your sense of automatic pilot works as well as it does."

"Palmer, let me ask you something."

"Okay."

"What do you know about what those bastards did to McGee?"

"Honestly, Tony. I don't know anything. First of all, Tim wouldn't talk about it at all in front of me. I'm not even sure he talked about it with anyone at all. Dr. Mallard hasn't left any file on the case anywhere I've seen. I haven't even heard him talk about what might have happened to Tim. Whatever it is they did to him is obviously being kept hushed up to respect Tim's privacy."

"Not exactly the right way to work a case." Tony said absently.

"Tony…"

****NCIS*****

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and wordlessly got up from the kitchen table. With his thoughts running in circles and his worry encompassing the entire team, he seemed to be operating on autopilot as he took himself over to the coffee pot for a refill. Glancing back at the table, he could see his friend's long forgotten cup was no longer steaming. Picking up the tea kettle, he refilled it with fresh water enough for two cups of tea; one for Ducky and another for the expected M.E. Assistant.

Gibbs knew that Tony would probably push to stay and be here for his teammate but the team leader also knew that couldn't be allowed to happen. All it would take was one nightmare gone undetected until Tim was caught up in it and all their efforts to safeguard the young man's privacy and dignity would be for naught. He wasn't sure how they were gonna do it, but the boss knew that somehow, between himself and Ducky, Tony would have to be made to go home for the night.

The boss wasn't even keen on Palmer being here at all, much less staying the night, but one long look at the elder M.E.'s exhausted face and Gibbs' mind was made up. Besides, the younger man was only being requested to stay in case a medical emergency arose from Tim's expected nightmares. Otherwise, Jimmy'd be sleeping through whatever came to light, bunking down in the living room. Having Tim sleep up in the room closest to Ducky's and as far away from the living room as it could be, helped guarantee the plan would work.

Almost on cue with the Team Leader's thoughts, a light knock sounded at the front door, just as Gibbs was setting the tea kettle back on the burner to reheat.

"Hey, Boss. Ducky." Tony greeted quietly.

"Hello, Anthony. Mr. Palmer." Ducky came back from his distanced thinking in time to greet the new arrivals, saving Gibbs the trouble of doing anything other than simply nodding his head at them.

"How's McGee?" Tony asked, knowing he'd already asked that once over the phone not too long ago, but needing to hear an updated answer. His gut was screaming at him that something was wrong and he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew what was going on.

"Sleeping." Gibbs replied in the tone that said the discussion was over. "Go home and get some sleep, DiNozzo."

"What? You mean, I can't stay and…?" Tony was shocked and angry.

"Not necessary." The boss firmly replied.

"Well, yeah, I get that he's sleeping, but, c'mon!"

"Anthony, it would be best if you do as Jethro is requesting, hmm?" The M.E.'s attempt to soothe Tony's ruffled feathers came up short and they all knew it as the anger nearly oozed from the Senior Field Agent as he glared at Gibbs and then turned and left the room without another word.

"Duck, go on to bed. You're exhausted. If I have any problems, Palmer's here. Palmer, you take the guest room down here and get some sleep. I'll wake you if I need you." Gibbs ordered as he turned off the stove, letting go of the idea of a late night drink for anyone but himself. They were all exhausted and sleep was more important for them. He would stay up and make sure everyone else was settled in and okay before turning in himself.

"Uhm. I need to talk to Tony for a minute before he leaves." Jimmy said as he turned and ran out after the departing angry agent.

With a deep sigh of frustration, Gibbs wiped his hand across his face and busied himself cleaning up Ducky's kitchen counter after fixing himself a cup of coffee.

"I believe I will go on to bed, as you've suggested Jethro." Ducky offered suddenly, "Just as soon as I have a word with Mr. Palmer." He got up and headed out after Jimmy.

"You sure, Palmer?" Tony was asking as Ducky approached them from further inside the house.

"Yes, Tony. I'm positive. Just remember what I told you earlier and it'll all make sense." Jimmy answered as he attempted to infuse the older man with enough calmness about the situation to think clearly on it.

"Anthony, I presume you are angry that Jethro has refused to allow you to remain here to watch over Timothy. Rest assured, lad, he is doing what he must and is not doing so simply to earn your ire."

Tony breathed out a sigh of frustration. "I know, Ducky, it's just…"

"Might I suggest you go home and get yourself a good night's sleep and we can talk about this in the morning? You are exhausted and Mr. Palmer needs his rest as well."

"Yeah, Okay, Ducky. G'night. Thanks, Palmer." Tony offered as he headed out, leaving the two medically trained men to head back toward the kitchen. "Go on to bed, Mr. Palmer. You will find everything you should need already laid on for you in guest quarters; the last door on the right on this corridor." Ducky announced as he pointed the way. "You'll find the bathroom ensuite and hopefully everything is to your liking. I shall bid you good night, Mr. Palmer. Ducky replied

"Thank you, Dr. Mallard. Goodnight."

Jimmy offered quietly, knowing the M.E. really needed to get to bed and he, himself, needed some sleep too. If Agent Gibbs did need his help, it wouldn't' be good if Jimmy was unprepared to be that help.


	19. Chapter 18

Sighing with frustration, worry and even a hint of fear, Gibbs sat back in the chair nearest the bed in which his agent was at least for now, sleeping peacefully. It had been an extremely stressful and trying last three hours and although it was great that the young man was actually sleeping, at least for the moment, without any garbage following him from what he'd heard earlier, the Team Leader knew, it was destined to be a long, rough night, given the way the human mind worked, especially when it was partnered with a sensitive soul, such as Tim's and dealt the cruel treatment and callous bragging of the details of that ordeal, that he'd been handed.

In his own tired and overstressed state,it wasn't long before the Team Leader's mind hit the replay button on what had taken place earlier, from the moment he'd seen his shocked agent huddled in on himself in abject misery after hearing first hand what cruelty had been perpetrated on him, both real and made up.

_Three hours ago:_

Turning to see what the other two men had discovered; Tom Barrett and Fornell were obviously shocked and alarmed at the realization that between the four of them and even the recording technician, not one of them had noticed Tim McGee coming into the room. None of them had even, at any point, realized he was there; obviously too long, judging by the way the young man was now withdrawn into himself, staring off into space, not responding to anything going on in the room around him.

With quick reflexes and immediate calls to action, both non-NCIS men quickly exited the room, as non-intrusively as possible, knowing that was not something they needed to be in the middle of or even witness. Gibbs barely spared both of them a glance as they left and took themselves next door with Fornell leading the way into the interrogation room.

***********NCIS***********

Ducky and Gibbs in silent cooperation and with joint strength, helped Tim up off the floor and were both able to breathe a sigh of relief as the young man seemed to come back to them just enough that he cooperated as the M.E. spoke to him carefully and calmly. "Come, now, Timothy, let's get you up off the floor and sitting down more comfortably, shall we? Since Mr. Palmer has gone home for the evening, we can make ourselves comfortable in my office where we can ward off the shock you've experienced with some hot tea, alright?"

"Give me a sec, Duck." Gibbs told the older man as he stepped out into the hall and instructed the two security guards still watching outside the interrogation room to go in to the room and keep watch over the two criminally responsible men until further notice. Once he'd cleared the hallway, he stepped back inside the observation room and reassessed the situation. He noted that Tim appeared to have come back from the fog enough to be cognitive once more, although much more withdrawn than the boss could ever recalling having seen him before. Tim's eyes remained fixed on his feet as he meekly did what was suggested to him, silently walking with his mentors to the elevator and even on down to Autopsy, none of them breaking the sad silence that had moved in like a eerie slithering mist.

Once in Autopsy, Tim was helped up onto one of the tables while Ducky immediately set about checking the young man's vital signs and Gibbs stood silently by, keeping a sharp eye on Tim's eyes and facial responses, keyed up to catch signs of trouble or distress. When he'd finished his once over of the young man, Ducky put away his equipment and immediately moved on to trying to get through to Tim a little more. Keeping his tone calm and quiet, his words were carefully chosen to not give Tim any reason to think on beyond the specific questions being put to him. "Timothy, are any of your injuries causing you pain at the moment?"

There was no response. Rather than drag this out for any of them, but more importantly, for Tim's sake, Gibbs reached over and administered his trademark solution, albeit, a stronger dose than usual.

_**Smack**_

Without uttering a sound, Tim blinked and finally allowed himself to look his boss straight on, for a mili-second. Then his eyes went straight back to the floor. Gibbs felt a wave of relief wash through him. At least now, they could make sure this didn't suffocate Tim and his penchant for thinking things into the ground and accepting guilt like a heavy blanket. But, if they were going to keep their grasp of Tim's mental state, they'd have to play it tough at least for a little while. It was the only way Tim responded in these moments.

"McGee! Look at me!" Gibbs allowed his tone to be a barking one yet again. He hated having to be tough right now and feared that Tim would subconsciously attribute this as yet another example of Gibbs not caring about him or what he was going through. Still, he bit the bullet and did what he needed to do to keep his agent from letting this throw him off-track from the progress he'd made to come back from what those punks had done to him the night they'd kidnapped him.

"Can we just go, please?" Tim asked so quietly, the boss almost missed it. The young man hadn't looked up from the floor. It was obvious, he wasn't ready for them to see what he was thinking or feeling through his eyes.

Exchanging worried glances, the M.E. and the Team Leader came to a quick and silent agreement. There was no reason for Tim to have to stay here if he wanted to leave. The fact that he wasn't trying to go somewhere alone spoke volumes of the depth of emotion he was dealing with. Neither of them wanted to make it worse for him.

"Yeah." Gibbs answered for both of them. "Give me a minute and we'll get outta here." Stepping into Ducky's office, he shut the door and made the call he should have made before this whole mess had come down. Well, he did adhere to his personal rule about seeking forgiveness rather than asking for permission for a reason, after all.

_"Leon Vance."_

"Leon, the Barrett bastards are stewing in Interrogation Two. Already got their statements. Tom Barrett arrested them and read them their rights before he brought them in." Gibbs told him without wasting any time.

_"You what?"_ Vance barked out angrily. _"Are you ever gonna let me in before things go to hell in a hand basket, Gibbs? Why the hell am I just finding out about this now?"_

"Was kinda busy gettin' to the truth, Leon." Gibbs answered with a touch of sarcasm.

_"Seems to be your creed, Gibbs."_ Leon Vance grumbled. _"What happened?"_

"Why would you think something happened?" the Team Leader asked with a touch of aggravation.

_"Gibbs, you and I both know that the only reason you and I are even having this conversation is because something happened and you need me to wrap up whatever it is you started."_ Vance told him grumpily. "_Cut the crap and tell me what's going on."_

"Leon, you wanna make sure these bastards get the book thrown at them or not?" Gibbs demanded impatiently. He didn't have time for this song and dance routine.

_"You know I do!" _

"Fornell and Tom Barrett are sittin' on 'em with the two security guards on the door. They'll be fine til you get there."

"_Fine, I'll handle it from here. Next time, you'd better be straight with me from the beginning or it won't end well for you! Are we clear?"_ The Director replied with his no nonsense tone.

"Right." Gibbs offered as he ended the call and headed back out to his agent so they could head out.

The ride to Gibbs house was unnervingly silent. While neither man was ever talkative around the other before now, this silence was different. Where the space between them was usually filled with discomfort on Tim's part and reluctance on the boss' part, this time, the emotional overload, was nearly palpable.

Gibbs was unwilling to sink into any deep thinking as he drove, the need to keep an eye on his Agent's state of mind, too prevalent for that. With Ducky driving right behind him, the boss was more than willing to hold off on trying to force Tim to talk or even listen to anything. He knew the chances of getting Tim to open up were practically nil anyway. The last thing the boss wanted to do was make this worse for the young man.

Thirty minutes later, having tried and failed at getting Tim to eat anything for dinner, Ducky had successfully gotten the young man mildly sedated so he could at least get some rest. Both the M.E. and the Team Leader knew the nightmares would likely be plaguing Tim throughout the night, but still wanted him to rest rather than dwell on anything. Tomorrow would be soon enough to face the monster that had reared its' ugly head tonight.

**_Present Time  
><em>**

_Man it was so much FUN tying his scrawny ass up to that support beam in my barn! _

_seeing him all stripped and helpless, his pants down around his scrawny little ankles. _

_That's where Tony here, came in. _

_You thought you were tough, didn't ya, boy? Well, you ain't so tough after all, are ya?_

_Agent McGee, please remove your trousers." The voice filled with bitterness, with anger infusing every word like the crack of a whip; over and over again as it nearly growled in his ear even as his pants were viciously yanked from his legs. _

_Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_When I got to make SURE he was a fag, oh, GOD, I was in heaven! _

_Agent McGee, please remove your trousers._

__Ya know, there's nothin more humilatin' than being banged while you're stipped naked and oh, yeah, knocked out, too!__

_Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_That was the best ride of my life!_

_To see the trophies I left on him, man, it felt great!_

_Agent McGee, please remove your trousers._

_Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_Figured while I had him good and naked, I'd see just how much I could make him scream._

_you sick freak._

_God, that fag can scream! It was beautiful!_

_Poor little thing _

_You thought you were tough, didn't ya, boy? Well, you ain't so tough after all, are ya?_

_then he had to go and scream_

_I had to have more of it._

_Damn it, Tony! _

_I got to make SURE he was a fag_

_tying his scrawny ass up to that support beam! _

_seeing him all stripped and helpless, his pants down around his scrawny little ankles. _

_You make me sick!"_

_That's where Tony here, came in._

_"__**Agent McGee, please remove your trousers."**_

_Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_being banged while you're stipped naked… knocked out_

_God, that fag can scream! _

_Strong, beefy hands roughly reached for him again …. _

_being banged while you're stipped naked… knocked out_

_NO!_

_No! _

_Suddenly, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, garnering an instant, heart-stopping reaction: _

_"__**NO!" **_

"Easy, Tim. you're alright, son." Gibbs's had rested on Tim's shoulder with a little pressure as the Team Leader tried to reach the young man through his violent tossing and turning in his obvious attempt to escape the horrors of his dream.

As Tim surged upright into a sitting position, gasping for air and looking around in fear, Gibbs could only think to keep working to calm the young man down. "Easy, Tim. You're okay. No one's gonna hurt you again."

Blinking several times in rapid succession, Tim remained silent as he worked to pull himself together, his own harsh breathing grating on his already stretched nerves. Humiliation was the next emotion to stomp through the revolving door of Tim's soul and with it, came a wave of worthlessness and incompetence directed at himself. Even his dreams were screaming at him about how weak and pathetic he was to have actually let himself scream out in reaction to whatever those punks had dished out to him.

Several long tense moments later, Gibbs finally felt safe pushing Tim for an answer or two. "Alright?"

Tim nodded and laid himself back down on the bed, not even trying to speak as he rolled onto his side away from the boss and closed his eyes, his breathing still ragged and loud. There was nothing he could say that was worthy of this man's time or attention. He, Tim McGee had just been ruthlessly reminded of just how much of a weak pathetic screw-up he really was. So weak, he'd been violated after being rendered unconscious and hadn't even been able to keep from screaming while he'd been tortured by a mere pocket knife and lighter, for the sheer fun of it. He was worthless and useless. There was no reason to waste this man's time or effort on him. He wasn't worth anyone's time or concern either for that matter; especially when he'd never been someone they worried about before this happened, to begin with.

Gibbs watched with a saddened heart as Tim withdrew from him and from the chance to open up and let go of some of what was eating at him. Without a doubt, the trumped up atrocities that Tony Barrett claimed to have done to him, were playing the key role in whatever was going through Tim's mind. Maybe the boss could at least alleviate that seriously dangerous miscommunication. Chances were pretty strong that Tim had zoned out after hearing only part of what the punk younger Barrett had claimed. They needed to be sure that Tim knew Tony had admitted to making it up.

"McGee. Not sure what you heard in there tonight. Need you to know and remember that he admitted to making it up just to get a reaction." Gibbs told his agent.

The only response he noticed was Tim's quieter, evened out breathing. The kid had already fallen asleep.

****NCIS***

His eyes snapped open, the cause unknown, but igniting a shiver of unease down his spine as he glanced around in the semi-darkness. The flailing figure on his bed immediately caught his attention even before the distressed cries reached his normally sharp ears.

"_No! Please! No! Stop! OW, AGH! No! Stop! Please!_

In a replay of several hours before, Gibbs reached out to Tim through his nightmare and attempted to bring him back. "McGee! C'mon back, son, you're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you."

Once again, his words seemed to do more than his touch, and it wasn't long before Tim stopped thrashing and flailing, becoming still while his breathing remained harsh and unsteady. This time, however, there was no meeting of the eyes, as the younger man made no effort to lift his up to those of the man who'd just rescued him from the pits of his nightmare. He might be exhausted and stressed beyond his limits, but he was still aware enough to remember, he no longer deserved to be taking up this man's time or costing him a good night's sleep._ Right. It was time to put a stop to that right now_.

Sitting up and edging off the opposite side of the bed, Tim got up and head toward the bathroom. "I'm awake now. You can have your bed back." He murmered quietly enough that Gibbs barely heard him even though he didn't miss the embarrassed apologetic tone in which the words were spoken.

Taking the time that Tim was in the bathroom to straighten up the bed linen, Gibbs fumed at where the young man's head had taken his thoughts. Knowing it was a losing battle only fed his anger on the issue. Still, nothing could be done about it tonight. Tim's stubborn nature would not allow him to give in when he believed he was right. Obviously, the young man was burdened by the thought of being a burden and keeping Gibbs from sleeping. The Team Leader was too tired and worn down to be able to think any further on what that meant for exactly where Tim's state of mind had gone. He'd have to think on that after he'd had some sleep.

With a wry smile, Gibbs realized Tim had forgotten whose house they were in. He might be able to use that to his advantage in getting Tim to go back to sleep. As Tim came back into the room and seemed to be intent on leaving out just as quickly, Gibbs called him.

"Hey, McGee!"

Tim stopped in his tracks and turned back to see what the boss wanted from him. When he made no attempt to speak, Gibbs spoke into the uncomfortable silence.

"You're wrong."

"Nothing unusual there." Tim said with a straight face.

"This isn't my bed." Gibbs pushed on, disregarding for the moment, his agent's remark.

"Huh?" Tim replied in confusion as his eyes finally glanced at his boss but only for a quick second before they found the floor at his feet again.

"This is Ducky's house. Which means this is Ducky's bed. You really wanna have to explain to him why you refused to go back to sleep when it's only 2 in the morning?" the boss quipped in hopes of getting through to the young man with a touch of humor to offset the other crap in Tim's head.

"Better than keeping you from sleeping." Tim replied quietly as he turned and left the room.


	20. Chapter 19

_"This is Ducky's house. Which means this is Ducky's bed. You really wanna have to explain to him why you refused to go back to sleep when it's only 2 in the morning?"_

_"Better than keeping you from sleeping." _

As Gibbs stood in a state of surprise, he soon found himself facing a concerned friend. "Jethro, what on earth happened? Is Timothy alright? Ducky asked worriedly.

"Hasn't slept more than 2 hours at a stretch. Can't seem to stop the nightmares."

"Unfortunately, we expected that. Where is he now?" Ducky asked calmly as he removed his glasses and wiped at the exhaustion that still lingered around his eyes.

"Dunno. Kitchen most likely. Looks like he's more worried about my sleep than his own."

"Oh, dear. Perhaps, I should go and talk with him. He might need a stronger sedative. The one I gave him earlier should have worked better than this." The M.E. replied as he replaced his glasses on his nose and made to head down the stairs after the young man in question.

Gibbs was quick to stop the older man with his tone and his words. "Aw, c'mon, Duck, you know you can't control that when every person's different. We both knew, like you said, that his sleep wouldn't be easy after all that crap he heard."

"Yes, well…"

"I got this, Ducky. Go on back to bed."

"Jethro, I…"

"You need to get some sleep. I've got this. We both know McGee will feel responsible if you don't get a good night's sleep because of this."

"Ah, I suppose you're right on that."

Silently watching as Ducky retraced his steps back to his bedroom and shut the door, the Team Leader didn't move until he was certain the older man wasn't going to change his mind. Only then, did he take himself down stairs and towards the kitchen, smirking slightly at the smell of freshly brewing coffee as it permeated the air even before he entered the room.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't find Tim still in the kitchen, although the signs that he'd been there mere moments ago were hard to miss. After all, Gibbs knew that Ducky would never set his coffee maker up to go off at such an hour as this and the already laid out coffee mugs hadn't been there when he'd gone to rest a few hours ago.

As he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, he set out to find Tim; beginning his search in what he figured would be the lesser used rooms of the den and library, figuring that with Tim's penchant for deliberately flying under the radar, he'd find those room more to his liking. Sure enough, it was the library that had garnered Tim's attention, as Gibbs soon discovered. The young man was curled up in Ducky's wing-backed chair, closest to the large picture window that looked out over the spacious and unblemished backyard, his nose stuck in a book. Smiling at this much more normal behavior after a most un-normal night, the boss headed back to the kitchen to fix their drinks and bring them into the conversation he knew they needed to have.

Back in the library, Gibbs put one of the hot coffees down so he could close the library door behind him and then picked the other cup back up before he spoke from the doorway, unwilling to startle Tim when there was hot coffee between them. "Hey. Up for some coffee?"

Tim startled, completely shocked that Gibbs hadn't gone to bed. The man had actually followed him, almost as if Tim were actually important enough to him to choose talking to him over a night of sleep. Tim was so caught up in trying to wrap his mind around this unexpected turn of events that he didn't even answer the man's question.

Gibbs grinned for a half-second at the younger man's genuine shock, but the humor was short-lived when he realized that it was wrong for Tim to ever have to believe for a minute that he wasn't important enough to have others worry about him like this. Needing to make sure Tim was actually aware of the here and now and not stuck in a daze, he tried again. "That a yes?"

Blinking, Tim shook his head slightly as if to clear the cobwebs from his mind and then he set the book down and glanced at the boss. "Sure. Thank you." He answered softly as he accepted the cup from the older man. "Thought you'd have gone to bed."

"Not likely. Not when one of my team's in trouble and needs help." Gibbs replied calmly as he took the wing back chair next to the one Tim already occupied.

"Boss, no. I'm fine." Tim argued with a little more volume.

"We both know that's not true. Drop the mask, McGee. It's just you and me here." Gibbs told him conversationally as he settled into his chair and drank from his cup.

"I know." Tim replied more quietly before he took another sip of his own coffee.

"McGee. I don't know what exactly you heard last night, but you need to know that Tony Barrett was just yanking our chain. He admitted as much to his cousin after we left the room. All that crap about touching you like that was lies."

Tim's surprise this time was actually a bit worrying. It meant he hadn't heard that much for himself and that he might actually have trouble getting his brain to accept it as truth after the doubts he'd carried about before he'd even heard those details from the men themselves. The relief on his face was nearly palpable. "So, then he never…"

"What'd Ducky and I tell you when you believed this two weeks ago?"

"No medical evidence means it didn't happen." Tim answered calmly even though his breathing was a bit ragged from nerves and the focus of the conversation.

"But, your dreams are telling you different now that you heard some details." Gibbs reasoned to show Tim he knew what the problem was

"How did…?" Tim stopped and looked away, now humiliated as his brain connected the dots and realized that the content of his nightmare had been so clear that the boss had picked up on it.

"McGee, it doesn't take a Psych degree to put the pieces together, especially when it all makes sense. The important thing for you to keep reminding yourself is that those details that are hounding you now were made up just to piss us off."

Tim stood up and walked to the large picture window that overlooked Ducky's backyard, taking his coffee with him. Leaning against the window edge, he silently sipped his drink and let his thoughts run free for a minute. They were too jumbled up to voice right now. _How was it possible that he'd felt so traumatized and devastated just a few minutes ago and with only a few words from this man, all of that had vanished into the night?_

Gibbs watched in silence as the young man did what he needed to do, He hoped that this would help Tim open up and let him in to what was actually eating at him. It was blatantly obvious that something was.

"That's really good news." Tim finally offered without raising his voice even though he remained facing the window as if he was too ashamed to face the boss.

"What's the problem, then?" Gibbs asked with enough authority that Tim knew he was not getting out of giving an answer.

"It doesn't change anything."Tim said quietly, his eyes still staring out the window. "I'm still not good enough."

"Says who?" Gibbs demanded roughly, as he stood and walked over to stand beside this young man he cared about and worried about like one of his sons.

"Like you said, Boss, it doesn't take a degree…"

"Not even close to what I meant, McGee. Where is this comin' from?"

"C'mon, Boss, you really think that To… DiNozzo, Ziva or you would have handled that as badly as I did? I seriously doubt any of you would have, what was he said; 'turned him on by screamin'?" Tim asked bitterly. "It doesn't take a genius to see that I handled that whole ordeal worse than a probie, for cryin' out loud! Whether he made that part up or not, it doesn't change the fact that's true, I did scream. I couldn't stop. I'm just like T... just like I've always been thought of, a wimp! Like I said, I'm not good enough. For this job? Not even close!" Tim's eyes snapped shut as a shudder ripped through him as his energy puttered out along with his rare show of self-directed anger and loathing.

"That what you think?" Gibbs challenged calmly.

"Well, yeah. Let's face it; we both know I handled it wrong." Tim admitted with a load of self-loathing dripping from every word.

"So, then there's a right way to handle being kidnapped, tied up, stripped, cut, burned and beaten." The boss' voice remained calm as he looked at his young agent square on, waiting for Tim to look him in the eye.

Tim's resolve that he'd been right to feel believe this way was starting to feel shaky in the face of this man's words and tone that screamed something was wrong with it. Still, he'd come this far with admitting what was on his mind and it was a rare enough occasion that the two of them ever talked like this, that he needed to keep going with the soul-deep honesty he lived by. "Well, yeah." He admitted with a tinge of guilt as he finally glanced at his boss.

"Hmm. Wonder if Ziva got that memo." Gibbs remarked almost offhandedly and with continued calm as he turned and left the room without another word.

Tim stared at the empty doorway to the Library. Why did he feel like he'd just opened his size ten mouth and stuck his size 11 shoe in it? Even worse, why did he feel like he'd just been head slapped worse than he'd ever seen DiNozzo be, without the physical contact? Gibbs always had the ability to say more with his few chosen words than most people said with an endless string of words. This was one of those times that he'd gotten the point across in just that way, leaving the recipient feeling like he'd been thinking backwards and need to turn his thinking around real quick. There was no way Tim would ever even think of telling Ziva how she should have handled what she'd been through; what little he even knew of it. Hell, he'd probably hurt anyone who dared do something as inhuman as telling her she should have handled it any other way than however she had.

_Oh, God! Gibbs was right!_ There was no reason to hate himself for what he hadn't been able to control that night. Unless he planned on putting himself through some sort of torture training, he'd never be able to be prepared for something like that to happen again. _Well, he could always do that, couldn't he?_ Maybe he'd have to before he'd feel better about himself over this. But, in the meantime, he'd have to accept the facts about what had happened and move on, physical scars and all. After all, unless he was mistaken, the boss just told him he hadn't lost his job or his right to keep that job.

He still found it odd that the tailspin he'd gotten caught up in earlier last night seemed so easily let go of. With just a few words from the right person, he'd been able to instantly let go of the horrible scenario that had played itself out in his sleep repeatedly since last night. It felt great to let it go. Maybe now he could get some sleep. The only thing plaguing his mind now was whether or not this changed anything between him and Gibbs. He hoped not. It would be tough to work for the man if he harbored any loss of respect for Tim because of , Tim was a realist, he knew that the effects of where this experience had taken his self-esteem and even his mental health, wouldn't just go away over night and would most likely find some way to continue to bother him. All he could do was hope and pray that he'd be able to let this go, without further residue from it.

Picking up the cup, he left the library to go back to the kitchen so he could rinse his cup out. When he got to the kitchen, it was to find the coffee had been cleaned up; the pot emptied and rinsed out; the machine turned back on programmed, set to go off later in the morning. Without another thought of anything but sleep that he suddenly craved, Tim returned to the bedroom he'd been in earlier, flopped down on the bed and remembered nothing else.

***NCIS*******

Breakfast the next morning was an oddly quiet meal, with just Gibbs and Ducky in attendance. Jimmy had disappeared, presumably to go to work, as soon as Ducky had come down for breakfast. Gibbs, who had finally found sleep at about 3 in the morning but was up at 6 and enjoying his first cup of the day before either Jimmy or Ducky had come in for breakfast. It had been an uncomfortable few minutes for Jimmy during the time he and Gibbs were in the kitchen together without Ducky as a buffer. The younger man was still less than at ease around the Team Leader and Gibbs hadn't been in any mood to worry about it.

Now, as the two older men sat at the table, the fresh fruit and Danish the only breakfast food they'd been interested in, now eaten and cleared away, with only their after meal drinks between them, the silence was a rare one but Gibbs was struggling to understand why his agent would have allowed himself to believe such a lousy thing about himself; while Ducky was feeling the effects of a less than completely restful night combined with enough worry for the pair of them. He'd not been able to fall back asleep very well after he'd talked to Gibbs and he hadn't heard Tim's nearly silent return to the bedroom and so lay awake with worry that the young man wasn't sleeping. He worried about what was going on in Tim's mind and wondered how to combat it before it became too late to do so.

"Relax, Duck." Gibbs finally spoke seemingly in tune with the M.E.'s silent thoughts.. "I managed to get it out of him. He'll be fine."

"Was he, as I feared, believing what that terrible person bragged about doing to him?" Ducky asked.

"Yeah. Turns out, that was an easy thing to fix. Wasn't expecting it to be, but McGee accepted it without a fight."

"Wonderful! Then what seems to be the trouble, Jethro? And do not tell me there is none for I can see it in your eyes and I can feel it in your silence."

"He's not good enough because he didn't handle being kidnapped and tortured without reacting." Gibbs told him with anger.

"Jethro!" Ducky admonished with his own anger.

"His words, Duck, not mine." Gibbs was quick to explain even if his tone remained quiet and almost sad.

"Oh, dear! What on earth did you tell him, if I might ask." Ducky pushed the point that a plan was needed to combat this thinking of Tim's.

"Not much." Gibbs answered almost off-handedly.

"Jethro…"

"I just agreed with him, Duck."

"Oh, dear heavens!" Ducky exclaimed in horror.

"Hell, Duck, it was his point to make. I just let him know I understood it."

"I imagine you were working under some kind of grand scheme with your reponse, Jethro. You usually do. So then what happened?"

"I just wondered out loud if Ziva had ever been told about that rule."

"We can always count on you, Jethro, to slice straight to the heart of the matter." Ducky marveled. "I take it Timothy did not argue the point any further?"

"Dunno. I went to bed." Gibbs told him point blank. "I know he did too, shortly after that. Didn't hear any more nightmares the rest of the night."

"Wonderful. I am truly grateful that Timothy finally allowed himself to tell you what was on his mind, Jethro. As complicated as your relationship is with the young man, it was beginning to look as though he would not allow himself to do so."

"Yeah, Duck. I know. Talkin's not my strong suit and McGee and I never have had much of anything to say to each other except for work." Gibbs admitted as he stepped over to the coffee pot and refilled his cup. Sitting back down at the table, he glanced over at his friend.

"But it's different with you and Anthony." Ducky reasoned out with complete understanding.

"Guess he and I have a lot more in common. We're a lot more alike."

"Perhaps you will be able to gain new insight into being able to change things for the better between you and Timothy. After all, Jethro, he and Anthony are equally loyal to you and both of them would give their lives for yours without a second thought. The least you can do is to spend some time getting to know them as people. If you learn anything from this horrid mess, I would hope it would at least be that."

"I hear ya, Duck." Gibbs replied before he got up to head back upstairs. "Gotta go in. Let McGee sleep in, would ya?"

"I plan on it, Jethro. I shall bring him with me when I come in to the office a bit later." the M.E. replied.

"Thanks."


	21. Chapter 20

Within the open air of the squad room, the next morning, anger, discontentment and concern seemed to hover in the air so thick, it was almost tangible. By the time Ziva and Tony had quietly greeted each other and got busy, silence had returned and now reined across the usually bustling work space. Finally, Ziva broke the silence by questioning Tony as to why he was so obviously angry, since he fairly radiated with the heat of it and she couldn't help but notice it. The Senior Field Agent remained silently perusing his emails almost as if he were deliberately ignoring her question. When she pushed the issue by asking the question a second time, Tony spared her a glance along with a shake of his head to let her know he wasn't going to talk about it and he didn't want the subject pushed. Since Gibbs had not come back to his desk from his coffee run yet, Ziva got to her feet and approached her teammate's desk, unwilling to let him get by with this silent treatment when one of their own was in trouble.

"Tony, why is it you cannot speak this morning? And why did you not call me last night when you found out what was going on with McGee? You promised to do so and yet I heard nothing."

"Well, Zivah. Maybe that's because there's nothing to tell. He was asleep when I got there." Tony finally spoke, his feelings quite obvious in his tone.

"All right. But, you spoke with Gibbs and Ducky about McGee coming back here last night, yes?" Ziva tried to rein the negative pall of emotion back in before it ran away from them.

"Nope." Tony replied in a clipped tone and leaned forward on his desk saying nothing further.

"Tony, that does not make sense! You were just as worried about his return to the squad room last evening as I was. You were supposed to talk to him so you could get a better idea of what was going on with him. AND, you were going to let me know if everything was okay, yes?"

"Apparently, some of us aren't privy to that kind of information, Ziva." Tony replied caustically. "Although, you'd think that after working side by side with the Probie for the past six years, that wouldn't be the case, but then, what do I know?" Tony's anger won out and he stood up, throwing his pen down on his desk in frustration.

"You done?" Gibbs' quiet question startled Tony into silence as his eyes flew to the boss' face while trying to steady his shocked heart at the man's silent entry into their midsts. The gleam in Gibbs' eyes was sharp as he glared at his agent. Tony glared back momentarily as the last vestiges of anger left him. He looked down at his desk, finding the mundane every day clutter remarkably interesting.

Without another word or even a glance, the boss turned on his heel and headed towards the elevator finally speaking over his shoulder as he walked. "You two, with me." He directed without looking back. Tony and Ziva followed the boss as he led the way to a conference room and gestured for them to take a seat while continuing on to the window that overlooked the harbor.

"Gibbs? Is McGee alright?" Ziva asked tentatively, the worry palpable in her voice.

"He'll be fine." Gibbs declared in the tone no one argued with if they had any sense. He didn't' turn away from the window, leaving Ziva and Tony glancing at each other with confusion.

"Will be?" Tony questioned angrily. "So you're sayin' he's not okay now? Why d…?"

"Did I imagine it or didn't we have this discussion just two weeks ago?" Gibbs interrupted with a deceptively calm tone that promised a coming storm.

"Two weeks ago? Boss, that 's not…"

"Not, what, Tony? Not what you're fishing for? Isn't it? Do you even remember what was said two weeks ago, DiNozzo?" Gibbs' cool, calm, toneless voice signaled an impending wave of anger or sarcasm, garnishing a wince of recognition from Ziva as she waited with bated breath for the storm to unfurl, her own memory of that conversation, coming back to her vividly.

"_Don't have to remind you this was a personal vendetta against McGee. Important thing for all of you to remember here is that he is just as much aware of that as you are but, he's the one having to live through it."_

"_So, what you're saying, Boss, is that we shouldn't talk to him about it or push him to talk about it." Tony offered as clarification._

The piece of the conversation that fit his own irritated ranting came back to Tony quickly, as well. He sat there confused and found more questions in that memory than anything else. "Well, yeah. But what's that got to do with this? There's no doubt that all of this is really personal for Probie. That's not the p…"

"It should be." Gibbs interrupted. "Since we're working on cold cases right now, the two of you have just been given a new assignment. I don't care if you work on it together or not, but don't come out of this room until it's done."

"Umm. Okay. What's the assignment, Boss?" Tony asked with a touch of uncertainty.

"Remember exactly what I said two weeks ago."

"C'mon Boss, that's not…."

"Use that to find the answer to one question."

"Okay, I'll bite; what's the question?"

"If you were in McGee's shoes, what would you need from your teammates right about now?" The boss supplied as he looked at his Senior Field Agent sternly for a moment and then turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Tony fumed as the closed door.

"Tony. It is not difficult to understand what Gibbs is trying to say." Ziva admitted quietly, having already put the pieces together. She understood the underlying message behind Gibbs' words and knew the exact reasons why the Boss, had done what he had.

Taking in her quiet tone and her almost statuesque posture, Tony quietened down and looked her in the eye. "Talk to me, Ziva. What's this about? We're not McGee so how the hell…?"

"No, Tony, we are not McGee. That is not what this is about. This is about our conversation from two weeks ago, Tony. Yours and mine." She reminded him quietly as she repeated what had been said between them about their teammate.

"Well yeah, Zee. I get that but…"

"Tony. Look, what happened to McGee, or at least what we suspect his experience had to have been, was horrible. He is not trained the way I am and has a gentle heart. How…"

Tony shook his head. "He's doing it the way he wants and we've just gotta let him."

"Yes, and while we are letting him, I continue to hope that being held against his will like he was does not hold his soul prisoner. I believe that Gibbs is concerned about that as well." Ziva stood up and moved to take Gibbs' place at the window. "I understand what Gibbs is trying to say but I do not know how we can get help Tim. I am not sure of the way. It is hard to know what helps a person recover from something such as what was done to McGee."

"I told you, Ziva. He'll find it. I still believe he'll find that strength he doesn't realize yet is there. He will get through this and land on his feet again. Even though we don't exactly know what was done to him that night, I still believe he'll get through it and come out stronger for it." Tony held his head in his hands and sighed. "We'll help him, but the question is how?"

"We should start by letting McGee know we are here for him in whatever way he needs us to be." Ziva said softly.

"But, isn't that what we were trying to do? Haven't you heard? Gibbs has a problem with that idea."

"That is not the reason for Gibbs' behavior, Tony. He simply wants us to think on this from McGee's perspective, hence the reason for this 'assignment'."

"As in how would we feel or what would we be thinking if we'd been done the way Probie has been!" Tony latched on firmly, now that his brain kicked into gear. "What would we need from our teammates."

"Yes and I for one, would not want anyone to be giving Gibbs a hard time about however he chooses to be of help to me, when the man is clearly trying to do what is best. We should be listening to his direction."

Tony huffed out a sigh of resignation. "Yeah, I know. And I wasn't' trying to be an ass about it. I just wanted to let Probie know I'm here for him. When I got there last night and Gibbs wouldn't let me see McGee, I saw red."

"Because you did not stop to think things through Tony. If McGee wanted that much attention brought to himself from you regarding this situation and how it was affecting him, do you not think he would have called you, himself?" Ziva questioned.

"So then how do we fix this?"

***NCIS*****

It seemed as though Gibbs had barely returned to the squad room alone when the elevator doors opened and Tim was stepping off and silently heading to his desk, obviously fully prepared to face the day.

"McGee. What are you doin' here? Thought I left instructions for you to get some sleep?" the boss asked without raising his voice.

"You did. Thanks for that, but I'm fine. Ducky was ready to come in so I just hitched a ride with him." Tim answered with a small smile of thanks as he turned his attention to his workstation and dug into the beginning of his work day. He'd woken up feeling rested and ready to face the day and had only found a moment of worry when he'd realized he'd been allowed to sleep in and treated with kid gloves because of the end results of what he'd done.

Ducky had treated him to a nice late breakfast, but Tim had been too antsy to do more than eat it quickly in order to get to work even while his brain kept returning to the crucial unspoken law he'd broken and the rising worry about the punishment that was surely coming his way. He had been relieved when Ducky had accepted the idea of Tim going in to work without any arguments. The ride in had been peacefully quiet since Tim hadn't wanted to talk about anything and the M.E. had respected that obvious choice.

It wouldn't leave him alone, the realization that he'd gone against the boss' orders to leave for the night and had instead returned with determination to have his own way and hear what was being said last night. He'd screwed up and he knew it. His crime of disregarding a direct order from Gibbs now sat in his gut like a dead weight and it truly began pulling him down in spirit even as he continued to do his best to get back to normal with work.

After what seemed like forever, it apparently occurred to him that half the team was missing. Even though he was dealing with his personal brew of uncertainty, he suddenly felt a wave of worry that something was going on with his teammates that he knew nothing about. "Boss? Are Ziva and To…DiNozzo…?"

Gibbs, who had taken a moment earlier, to scrutinize his agent as the young man returned to what was normal for him and for the team, before getting back to his own work, now looked over at him to see what Tim's question was all about. He hadn't missed the fact that Tim had not been able or at least willing to call Tony by his first name since the incident in Observation last night. Obviously, there was a problem there that needed to be addressed, but until it became more clear what that problem was, there was little he could do about it. Choosing to get things back to normal, he calmly answered the question.

"Doin' something I needed them to do. C'mon, time for a coffee break."

Tim watched in amazement as Gibbs headed out of the squad room, obviously serious about the break for coffee even if Tim had only been working a scant thirty minutes or so. Shaking his head in a moment of amusement, Tim hurried to catch up with the boss, his own empty cup in hand. After the events of the last few weeks and especially the genuine conversation they'd had last night; the first ever between the two of them, the silence that settled in between them now was much more amicable than what used to be and both, it seemed, were happy to relish it instead of disturbing it.

It wasn't long though, before the guilt of disobeying that order from Gibbs last night came crashing back down on him, his shoulders inadvertently slouching in response to the weight suddenly added to them. Tim had no idea that he presented quite clearly, the perfect picture of someone with a boatload of problems that he was trying his best to shoulder alone but wasn't able to hold it all up much longer.

Gibbs watched out of the corner of his eye as the added weight of whatever had just crossed his agent's mind, settled onto his shoulders almost visibly. There was little doubt in the boss' mind that whatever it was; was presumably something dealing with what Tim had been trying to get past. Finally, the Team Leader couldn't stand it for another second and he stopped walking and put his hand out to stop Tim from taking another step as well. Spotting a bench nearby, he gestured in that direction and followed after Tim as he walked that way. Placing the drink trays down, the two of them then sat down,

Shaken by this sudden turn of events precipitated by the boss, Tim could only shift uncomfortably as he sat on the bench, his eyes gluing themselves to the water out beyond the row of seaworthy vessels where they remained docked off in the distance. This was it, the time had come for him to face his fate. He prayed that the death of his career he suspected was coming, would be a quick death, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be a painful one.


	22. Chapter 21

Tony and Ziva returned to the squad room without saying anything, having said everything they needed to back in the conference room. They realized now that they'd been fighting with their inner-selves' need to actually fix things faster and more actively than what the situation obviously called for. Human nature was still at work here, with the immediate need to make things right for their friend and teammate egging them on, even if they hadn't done anything wrong themselves. The trouble was there wasn't anything they could do to help make things right for Tim and they couldn't exact justice or revenge for him either, leaving them both feeling extremely frustrated and bordering on angry.

And that, they both knew; was part of what Gibbs had been talking about when he'd told them to be ready to answer the question he'd put to them; how to put the anger away so Tim wouldn't be subjected to it. Two hours after they'd been given the task, they were both feeling a lot more sensitive to the subject of their teammate's ordeal and more able to stifle their own anger in regard to what had been done that they knew of, but knew it was time to put it away and get back to work.

****NCIS***

Ducky found Gibbs entering his work space not even two hours after the older man had arrived at work. With no current residents within the confines of the Autopsy Suite from which a case was pending, he couldn't even hide his surprise. "Jethro? What brings you to my humble nook?"

"McGee talk to you about anything this morning, Duck?" The Team Leader got straight to the point.

"I will admit, there was precious little conversation between us this morning. It seems as though he is too busy trying to process through something. At least, that's all I can gather from his silence." The M.E. replied with a hint of sadness in his tone.

"So, you've no idea what it is?"

"If I were to hazard a guess, I would speculate that it has to do with this situation he is attempting to recover from. Why do you ask?"

"I get the feelin' it's something different, Duck. If it was about all this mess, he'd have said something to me last night. Just came from trying to get him to let me in but he was so tongue tied, he couldn't get it out."

"What brought this about, if I might ask?"

"Something's got him so weighed down, I could almost see it settle on his shoulders, Duck. Just took him for coffee."

"And I take it, from the sound of your voice and the fact that you are here asking for information, means he wasn't able to do open up to you during that time. Well, Jethro, if we were to go along with this theory of yours that this is something different than the ordeal he has just been through, then we might happen upon the next stumbling block Timothy is likely to face before being able to completely put this ordeal behind him and move on."

"Go on." Gibbs urged.

"Jethro, did you not give your team orders to go home before the Barrett's even arrived in the squad room last night?

"I did."

"And yet, Timothy took it upon himself to disregard your direct order to go home and get some sleep. Instead, he allowed his stubbornness and need to know what was going on above any common sense, to rule his actions, which resulted in the serious dilemma we now face." Ducky reminded him. "As well as the completely unnecessary traumatic moments he endured as a direct result of his choice to disregard your order.

"And knowing McGee, he's letting the fact that he disobeyed that order, eat him alive." Gibbs realized with regret.

"Mmm. Yes, I'd venture to believe that it's bothering him worse than what he now knows wasn't done to him, has been doing so."

"Damn! Last thing I wanna do is add to what he's just been through."

"Then you had better figure out what form of reprimand you will be dealing out to him." Ducky advised firmly.

"Duck, that wa…"

"Jethro, that young man is desperately trying to hold on to all that is normal in his life. For you to **not** discipline him for such a horrendous offense as breaking THAT rule, would only solidify to him the belief he already has, that he is not worth the badge he carries or the place he has o n your team. You can't have it both ways, my friend. He broke a serious rule and he must suffer the consequences as he normally would or you risk seriously throwing the team dynamics out of whack."

"Think he's already suffered serious consequences enough, Duck. Everything he heard from those bastards and even thought they'd done to him is worse than I'd do to him for the rule. Besides, never ordered them to do anything. "

"You miss the point, Jethro. The consequences must come from you, since it was your rule that Timothy broke. We all know when you tell them to do something, it's the same as if you'd spoken the word 'order'. You need to show him that he is worth the discipline or he will never believe that he is deserving of his position on your team or his badge."

Gibbs nodded in silent comprehension of his friend's educated theory. The Team Leader wasn't happy about this necessary turn of events and even admitted to himself that he felt a tad bit at loss for any idea of how to best go about this.. Turning on his heel, he called back over his shoulder as he headed out, "Thanks, Duck."

"You're quite welcome, my friend." Ducky answered into the now empty air between them with a sense of relief coursing through his veins. He'd been able to have that particularly difficult conversation a lot easier than he'd imagined.

*****NCIS****

The squad room was quiet, too quiet. Ziva and Tony were both stock still in shock, having both just realized something troubling about Tim that they'd almost looked right over. It had taken a few minutes to pinpoint the problem and although that had been accomplished, they had yet to get to the bottom of why the problem had arisen.

It was this eerie stillness disrupted only by the regular tapping of Tim's keyboard as his fingers floated across the keys in his normal rhythm and speed while he perused the cold case file open on his desk that Gibbs returned to. With raised eyebrows and his trademark questioning look, Gibbs silently asked Tony and then Ziva what was going on.

Tony glanced over at Tim and then back at the boss before mouthing the words, _Conference Room_ and heading toward the elevator, regardless of whether or not Ziva and Gibbs caught up. There was no way they were gonna have this conversation in front of Tim.

With a frown and a sigh of resignation, Gibbs silently followed in his Senior Field Agent's wake, getting on the elevator with him and waiting as the doors were closed and the switch engaged that would rock them to a standstill so they could talk.

"Boss, I know that you're not gonna talk to us about what happened to Probie the night he got taken, but we've gotta know somethin'!" Tony steamed hotly.

"Why?" the boss' question was surprisingly calm.

"Why? I'll tell you why. Because every single time someone calls me by name now, Probie flinches." Tony replied angrily. "What the hell's going on with that?"

"Barrett." Gibbs told him without hesitation even as his heart twisted for the youngest team member. Apparently, this wasn't as dealt with as he'd thought.

"As in the Barrett who kidnapped Probie or his brother Barrett who let him have his job back that led to this whole mess?" Tony asked with white hot fury radiating from him. "What the he…?"

"Neither. Try Cousin Barrett; accomplice." Gibbs interrupted quietly in hopes that it would calm his Senior Field Agent down."

"Okay?" the response was a question of non-comprehension.

"First name: Tony." The boss' voice remained even and quiet, his eyes holding Tony steady as the rest of the truth fell into place. "Bastard made things very personal."

Tony's mouth dropped and even Ziva's face registered surprise. Neither of them had been privy to the full details or the name of any other guilty party in the ordeal that had been perpetrated on their teammate. "How p….?"

"What do you suggest we do, Gibbs?" Ziva interrupted forcefully as she glared Tony into silence before he could complete the question that she knew Gibbs would not answer.

"Not sure. My guess would be let DiNozzo help McGee work it out of his system." The boss replied quietly as his eyes became unreadable.

"Just how am I supposed to do that, Boss?" Tony asked with genuine irritation.

Gibbs shrugged wordlessly as he flipped the elevator switch back on, causing the electronic box car to move once more. Silence returned almost audibly sliding into place between them, each trying to find the answer as quickly as they'd fingered the cause of the problem. As the doors opened back up to show that they were on Ducky's level, Gibbs gestured for Tony to step out, finally answering the question. "Go ask Ducky."

Tony wordlessly did as Gibbs suggested, walking into Autopsy without hesitation. Ziva remained in the elevator, knowing that Tony needed to have that conversation with Ducky privately or Gibbs would have taken himself into Autopsy as well. As the elevator doors closed and the machine once again began to move them, silence tried to move back in, but this time, Ziva wouldn't let it.

"Gibbs, you know that McGee…."

"Will let you know if he needs to talk, Ziva. Let it go." Gibbs warned quietly.

"Right." She replied, forcing herself to stop pushing the subject and return to the normal way of things.

With a smirk for the internal knowledge that she had just risen to the occasion by stomping down real hard on her need to take control of this unsettled situation from a former survivor's point of view, Gibbs waited for her to be the first to step off the elevator, both of then silently returning to their desks and the work that waited for them there.

"Hello, Anthony. What brings you?"

"Hey, Ducky. Got a minute?" Tony asked seriously as he cast his eyes pointedly at Jimmy.

"I'm gonna go take my afternoon break now, Dr. Mallard. Think I'll walk down to the corner coffee shop." Jimmy offered as he shucked his lab coat and gloves and headed toward the opposite set of doors from where Tony had come in. "Would either of you like me to bring you back something?"

"No thanks, Palmer." Tony answered quietly.

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer. But, nothing for me, either, I'm afraid." The M.E. replied offhandedly while his focus remained on Tony and the too quiet voice in which he was speaking.

"All right. I'll be back in 20 minutes." Jimmy announced as a warning for the length of time they'd have to talk while he was gone.

"Ah, Mr. Palmer, why don't you relax and take an extended break, hmm? Thirty minutes should suffice as both an adequate break for you as well as enough time for Agent DiNozzo and I to talk." Ducky offered charitably.

"Uhm, Okay. Sure, Doctor Mallard, that would be great. Okay. I'll be back in thirty minutes."

Tony had begun to pace in small treks in front of the X-ray wall while Jimmy seemed to take an extraordinarily long time to leave.

"Now, then, Anthony, what seems to be the trouble?" Ducky asked as he walked over to stand next to the younger man. "Whatever it is has got you most antsy, it would seem."

'What do you know about Tony Barrett? What did he do to McGee? Who am I kidding, you're not gonna tell me any more than Gibbs has and he won't tell me anything, so that means you're not gonna tell me anything either. Why am I here? Oh, right, 'cause boss said come talk to you, but I can't do that if you're not gonna tell me anything." Tony's ranting was unexpected and absolutely painful to watch as the young man's eyes practically snapped with anger and frustration while he paced frenetically with every word that came from his mouth.

"Anthony!" Ducky barked just loud enough to break through Tony's verbal tirade.

"Huh? What?" Tony stopped in mid pace and mid rant to look at the M.E. in utter surprise. The older man rarely used that tone of voice on anyone.

"What has happened that has precipitated this situation?" Ducky's voice was normal once more.

"Ziva and I noticed McGee's been flinching every single time someone says my name."

"And from that you've arrived at the name of Tony Barrett?"

"I didn't. Gibbs did." Tony replied with a touch of anger.

"I see. What else did Gibbs say on the matter?"

"Only that this guy Tony Barrett made it personal for Probie."

"Anything else?"

"No. And that's what sucks about this, Ducky! How in the hell are we supposed to help Probie if we don't know what the hell it is exactly we're helping him through?

"Anthony, for the last time, you would not want your teammates to force their way into something you were trying to keep private so do not treat Timothy with any less respect for his privacy. No amount of frustration from you will change that, I'm afraid. Now, let's talk about this problem young Timothy is having with your name, shall we?" Ducky admonished.

"Okay. So how do we crack this problem?"

"I suggest sitting down and talking to him about it, away from everyone else. It might be a rare occasion for the two of you to spend any off duty time together, but in this case, Anthony, I believe it most important for you to make an exception. And I am not referring to using the time to mock him or get him drunk so he will not know what he is saying. Keep it honest and above board. Be his friend this time, not his frat house senior officer."

"Okay. I can do that. Not sure what I can say on the subject, but I can try." Tony replied.

"Yes, I have faith in you and as for what to say to him, I would suggest you simply talk to him about whatever's on your mind, so long as you start by letting him know that you are concerned and there for him, in whatever capacity he needs from you."

"Sounds easy enough." Tony replied offhandedly.

"I believe you know better than that, young man. It will not be an easy conversation to have. Between the two of you, I am not sure which is more stubborn about not opening up. But, it will be a challenge and I know you are capable of handling those, most especially when it is necessary to help your friends."

"Thanks, Ducky." Tony offered as he turned to leave. "Hey, McGee is alright, isn't he?" Tony stopped to ask.

"Timothy is as well as can be expected after his ordeal and he is doing his best to move forward with all the normal he can find."

"I hear a 'but' in there." Tony pointed out.

"I fear the young man is beating himself up for breaking Jethro's rule."

"What? What rule?"

"Jethro told you all to go home the other night. Timothy did not do so."

"Something tells me it's actually a lot more complicated than that." Tony pushed.

"In Timothy's mind, he disobeyed Jethro's order and for that Timothy will be punishing himself while he awaits Jethro's punishment. I suspect the young man is most likely fearing the worst."

"The worst?"

"The worst for Timothy would be losing his job. As it is, Anthony, Timothy is already questioning his worth and placement as a result of being kidnapped. He is convinced that had the incident happened to any of the rest of you, then none of you would have actually been taken, but would have managed to elude your would-be kidnappers. I imagine he also believes that any of you would have also been able to turn the tables on the Barrett's successfully, managing to apprehend them for their attempts to take you against your will."

"That's a load of crap." Tony disputed quickly.

"Yes, well, you'd do well to try to convince Timothy of that." The M.E. replied rather pointedly.

"Wow. Okay, so we're looking at two problems, McGee's hiding. When did he start being so secretive like this?"

"Anthony, it is quite one thing to keep your problems to yourself and quite another to actually be lying to others. I believe you have just exhibited the pot calling the kettle black, dear boy." Ducky warned.

Tony frowned as the M.E.'s words hit home. Yeah, Tony had done far more than his fair share of being dishonest and he knew it. "Thanks, Ducky." He offered quietly as he turned back toward the door and headed out.

Ducky shook his head at the younger man's sudden change in mood. He hoped he'd provided him with enough information to enable him to help his teammate work through the problems that remained from that horrid night. There was precious little else, the M.E. could do.

Returning to his desk, Tony cast his eye silently over Tim as the younger man remained fixated on the cold case in front of him as he perused it slowly, judging by the lack of eye movement going on. All things considered, the kid seemed to be holding it together pretty damn well. But Ducky's words remained at the forefront of Tony's mind and the Senior Field Agent was determined to do what he could to help his probie out. Unfortunately, having that conversation would have to wait until after work tonight. Tony would just have to find a way to strong arm Tim into spending some time with him, somehow.

"McGee, DiNozzo, Standford Case, go re-interview the teachers and school administrators. Find what we missed. You've got two hours to get back here." Gibbs suddenly ordered, his eyes boring holes into Tony as they silently told him to use this opportunity to the best of his ability.

Well, at least he wouldn't have to figure out how to force Tim to spend time with him. As he nodded surreptisciously at the boss, Tony watched Tim's reaction and was surprised to see none; at least nothing unusual. With an aire of confusion, Tony did the unthinkable as he held out the keys to the sedan for his probie to take. He had an ulterior motive, as he wanted Tim to be willing to talk, not busy worrying about Tony's driving while they talked.

Tim noted with shock, that Tony seemed to be wanting him to drive. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, Tim frowned with a sense of unease about this assignment first, casting his worried glance over at the boss; only to find the man once again busy reading the case file in front of him. Shaking his head slightly, Tim turned and took the keys from Tony and headed toward the elevator without a backward glance, his backpack slung across his shoulder.

Tony glanced over at the boss, catching his eye as they exchanged yet another volley of words in their own language before he turned to leave.

_Don't screw this up, DiNozzo._

_I got this, Boss._

_You'd better!_

_I promise, I got this._


	23. Chapter 22

Trekking out to the Agency sedan, neither Tony nor Tim said anything, the silence between them more filled with things unsaid than it had ever been before. Neither could bring themselves to say what was on their minds, both fearing that doing so would open up a can of worms that was best left alone.

Buy the time they'd settled into their seats within the confines of the car, Tim seemed so uptight Tony expected him to snap like a twig any minute. Before he could say anything, the younger man finally spoke, as he remained staring out the front windshield, his hand frozen on the key in the ignition.

"I'm sorry. It's not your fault and it has nothing to do with you." Tim's apology was shaky and filled with such genuine regret that Tony felt for him.

"I know, Probie." Tony quietly offered as an olive branch that wasn't even necessary.

Tim froze, his eyes slamming shut as the worst of what Tony could know came back to him in a wave of horror. Refusing to look into eyes that would undoubtedly be laughing at him or at the very least, thinking badly of him now, he glued his eyes when they opened back up on their own, to the front windshield. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he finally braved the question, needing to know the answer. "What….what do you know?"

Taking his own much needed deep breath and letting it out slowly, Tony held on tight to his anger that still simmered at what this peaceful man next to him had been through. He needed to let Tim know that he wasn't alone. On that score, Ducky had been right. Then again, the M.E. usually was and this conversation was as vital as the older man had warned Tony it would be. He hoped he didn't blow this; after all, he'd promised the boss that he wouldn't. In a rush, he opened his mouth and dove in.

"I know that there's a third Barrett in this mix whose name just happens to be the same as mine and whatever part he played in what they did to you is the reason you've been flinching like you've been sucker-punched every time you've heard that name which happens to be the same as mine today." Tony played his cards straight, driving straight to the heart of the problem that needed to be solved since he'd been handed the very opening he'd been praying for.

Tim was shocked into silence once again. It wasn't long before a wave of anger at himself washed through him for letting this mess affects his teammate like this. "I'm so…"

"Not responsible! I swear, Probie, if you apologise one more time I'll head slap you harder than I used to when you really were still a probie." Tony threw back at him with all seriousness and authority he possessed.

"Not responsible?" Tim scoffed at the idea. "Since when aren't we responsible for how we think?"

"You're brilliant, McGenius, I'll give you that, but until you can step up to the plate and create an artificial life form with pre-set thoughts that react to every single thing that could ever happen…"

"Okay, I get it." Tim tried to stop Tony mid-rant.

"I mean, there's just no way you've gotten…" Tony kept going as if Tim hadn't spoken.

"I get it, Tony! I get it. I didn't create my own brain so I can't always control the thoughts that run through it." Tim admitted loudly.

"Whoa! Say that again!"

"What?"

"Say it again."

I heard that, Say what again?"

"My name, McGenius!"

Something unreadable flashed in Tim's eyes but was gone in an instant. Tony felt like a heel for pushing so hard. "Look, McGee, I…"

"No, Tony. You're right." Tim started the car and drove toward the base gate, mentally head slapping himself for still sitting there when they'd been told to go do something.

"I am? What am I saying; of course I am! I'm always right, remember? How many times have we had this discussion over the years?" Tony took advantage of the chance to gloat, hoping it would lighten the mood.

Tim offered a small smile for a half-second. "But, I'm right, too. And I really am sorry."

Tony's hand twitched and his arm shifted across the seat. The head slap was imminent and Tim was suddenly not in the mood to add that to the mix.

"No, Tony, hear me out." The younger man firmly requested as he drove them through the city streets.

With a deep sigh, Tony brought his wayward hand back to his lap and straightened up his spine, getting comfortable in his seat. "Alright, Probie, lay it on me."

"I let this get to me worse than I should have. I let it take over my powers of reasoning and even my common sense to a point. If I'd kept my head on straight, he wouldn't have gotten to me the way he did." Tim's voice had turned derisive, not cutting himself an ounce of slack.

"Stop." Tony ordered with heat.

"Stop what?"

"The car. Pull over."

"Tony."

"Public park next left, take it and park the damn car!" Tony insisted angrily.

"What are you so pissed about?" Tim asked in surprise as he did like Tony told him and parked them in the public park's parking lot and turned off the engine. Turning to look at his teammate, he was surprised to find Tony staring out the window, his breathing ragged as if he'd turned into a raging bull.

"How long are you gonna do this, Probie?" Tony demanded as he glared at him finally.

"Do what? What the hell's going on with you?"

"YOU!

"You lost me."

"I know, McGee! That's the damn problem! We lost you because you won't talk to us! How the hell can your team be there for you if you won't friggin' talk to us? Now you wanna come down on yourself for not handling it somehow better while carrying it all around with you?"

"You don't understand…."

"What is it you think we wouldn't understand, McGee? That you need to keep things locked up tight so you don't feel like you're reliving it every day? You think we wouldn't respect that? That why you've avoided Ziva and I like the plague? Pretty sure Ziva and I can imagine what you went through, bu…"

"No, you couldn't. Whatever you were imagining, the reality was worse." Tim muttered bitterly.

"What could be worse than thinking your partner was raped and knowing there's not a damn thing you can do to help him because he won't even let you in?" Tony demanded angrily, too carried away in the heat of the moment to censure his words.

"Try thinking you were raped yourself." Tim threw back hotly before he could stop the words from escaping.

Suddenly, he bolted from the car, needing as much distance from Tony as he could get. He understood Tony's anger at being shut out of what Tim had gone through, but Tim couldn't feel guilty for that. He wouldn't. There was plenty of other things that he already felt responsible for without taking on what he'd handled to the best of his ability. Hell, he still had Gibbs' repercussions for Tim's disobeying him that night to worry about.

Tony felt as though he'd been sucker-punched. Letting out a huge sigh of frustration, he laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. _Real swift, DiNozzo. Real Swift. Oh, God! No wonder he's been so withdrawn and locked up! Oh, shit! Now he'll be pissed at me and himself for that getting out. __God, Gibbs is so gonna kill me. Wait, maybe if I fess up now, he'll let me live. _Without a second thought, he whipped out his phone.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Sorry, Boss. I blew it. "

" _Thought Ducky told you what you needed to do."_

"He did. I tried but …"

"_You let it get away from ya."_

"Yeah, I did. Boss, I'm…."

"_Give him some space, DiNozzo. Wait right there til he comes back. When he does, you do whatever Ducky told you to do or you'll answer to the both of us. Got it?"_

"How did….? Never mind, Yeah, Boss, I got it."

"_Thin Ice, Tony."_ Gibbs warned just before he ended the call, leaving Tony listening to empty air.

Snapping his phone shut, Gibbs closed his eyes in frustration as he spent a minute trying to think of how to save both his boys from this potential to fall in to the chasm that had just opened up between them. Standing up from his desk, he beat a hasty retreat, needing to include the expert into this mess before it was too late.

"Hello, Jethro."

"Duck. Got a minute?"

"Certainly. What can I do for you?"

"Sent Tony and McGee out on a bogus run."

"Ah, because you thought it was the only way they would get together long enough to talk."

"DiNozzo just called. Didn't go so well."

"Oh, dear. What happened?"

"Tony's mouth happened."

"I warned that young man to be supportive and not make things worse."

"Yeah, well, don't think he planned on letting his mouth run away with his frustration at being kept out of the loop, Duck."

Ducky frowned as he walked over to his desk phone and dialed Tim's cell phone number, making sure to put the call on speakerphone for Gibbs' sake.

"_That was fast."_ Tim answered quietly.

"Yes, well, Anthony is quite upset at letting the conversation run away from him."

"_Wasn't his fault, Ducky. It was mine." _

"McGee. Talk to me." Gibbs quietly stepped in and issued the request.

"_Hey, Boss."_

"Timothy so long as you promise me that you are all right, I shall leave you and Jethro to talk."

"_I'm fine, Ducky. Thank you."_ Tim promised.

"Good. Then I shall leave you to it. Please be so kind as to find a way to make peace with Anthony before this is over, he does feel rather badly about it all."

"_We'll get there, Ducky. I promise."_

"Good."

"Okay, McGee. It just you and me. Again. Talk to me." Gibbs encouraged as quietly as he had that late night in Ducky's library.

"_It was all for nothing, Boss."_ Tim's voice was shaky at best.

"_Go on."_

"_It was like Tony was pushing my buttons and he was yelling at me about what it was like to imagine the worst happening to ….and it just popped out…. I was just ….so stupid! I let him take away the control I had on what I did and didn't say and…."_

"McGee, calm down."

"_And now he knows and I'll never be able to look him in the eye again and…"_

"MCGEE!"

"_Boss?" _

"You think that Tony's gonna think differently of you now. I get that. You're selling him short and in the process, you're selling yourself short. You two have been teammates long enough to have more trust in each other than what you're showing him. I get that you have every right to keep things private, McGee. And we both know he likes to use you as the butt of his jokes, but you and I both know this is different.

"_It's not his jokes I'm worried about, Boss. I know he wouldn't go there."_ Tim answered.

"McGee, only thing you can do now that it's out, is talk to him, set it straight and move on."

Tim spent a silent minute thinking through what the boss was saying. It spoke well of the older man's understanding that normal was what everyone needed. This certainly had broken away from normal and it was time to rein it back in. Still, one thing nagged at Tim and it had Gibbs' name all over it. What time like the present to get that taken care of too? If he was gonna lose his job, shouldn't he find out now, while it was just the two of them in the conversation anyway?

"_Boss?"_

"Yeah, McGee."

"_What happens now?"_

"What are you talking about, McGee?"

"_I disobeyed you the other night."_

"I know."

"_I broke one of your rules."_

"Yup, ya did."

"_So what happens next?"_

"What do you want to have happen next, McGee?"

"_I ….I don't know."_

"Neither do I."

"_Huh?"_

"McGee. You went against what I told you to do that night. Already paid a higher price than anyone should ever have to. Not a whole lot more can be learned from heaping anymore on that."

"_Oh."_

"McGee?"

"_Boss?"_

"Make no mistake about it, you ever disobey me like that again, I'll head slap you so hard, your great-grandchildren will feel it, you understand me?"

"_Yes, Boss."_

"Good. Now get a move on! And both of you'd better be prepared to get back to work when you get back!"

"_Yes, Boss." Tim answered. "Boss?"_

"McGee?"

"_Thank you."_

"Welcome." Gibbs ended the call on his end and turned around to see a smiling M.E. standing by to congratulate him on a job well done.

Tim closed his phone and turned to go back to the car; only to find himself face to face with a very upset Tony who looked like he didn't know whether to wrap Tim up in a hug or punch someone's lights out.

"I'm sorry, Tony."  
>"I'm sorry, Probie."<p>

Their simultaneous apologies broke the ice and eased the moment as both of them allowed a small smile to grace their faces for a minute and together they silently returned to the car. Tim handed Tony the keys, no longer interested in driving with everything on his mind.

"McGoo, I am sorry."

"Me too. Like I said, none of this is your fault."

"I heard what you told the boss. I pushed your buttons."

"Yeah, well, guess that was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I wasn't exactly talking about it so it was bound to come back up and bite me sooner or later."

"I'm here for you man, you know that, right?"

Tim looked long and hard at his teammate, recognizing the honest emotion radiating from him that was seldom seen. With a smile that was full of gratitude, he finally answered. "Yeah, Tony. Yeah, I do."


	24. Chapter 23

The ride out to the school never happened as halfway there, Tim remembered that the case in question had already been closed – and smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Tony asked.

"Turn around and go back to the office, Tony." Tim said, breathing a sigh of relief that his partner's name no longer affected him negatively like it had been doing earlier in the day.

"What?"

"Tony, the Standford Case? Last month? Solved, water-tight, remember?"

"Right! Ooh, boss was playin' his devious card. That shark!" Tony grinned.

"Let's grab coffee for everyone and get back." Tim's thoughtful suggestion seemed like all was normal once again.

"Been pretty quiet since we got in the car, McGee." Tony attempted to draw his teammate out into another personal conversation.

"Got a lot to think about." Tim hedged cautiously, unwilling to go there again.

"Anything you wanna share?"

"Like what?"

"Like, why you thought…never mind."

Tim breathed out slowly and took several quiet breaths before he replied. "Tony. They knocked me out several times. I had no idea what they did to me while I was out of it."

"Oh. But, wouldn't you have kn….? Never mind."

"Like I said, I wasn't level headed about this."

"No? Oh come on!" Tony snorted and shook his head. "McGee. You've got the most level head of anyone I know and it took that even keel you seem to stay on to keep you from letting it all out for the rest of the world to see what was going on. There's a big difference between keeping things locked up tight so you don't have to deal with it, and not thinking clearly."

"Thanks."

"I meant what I said, McGoo. I'm here for you." Tony reminded him as they eased to a stop in the traffic line at the base gate.

"I know, Tony. I appreciate it. Really. But, I'd rather move on, if you don't mind. I don't want to keep letting this be a part of my life. It needs to be over and it won't be if I keep talking about it."

"So, back under that lock and key it all goes?" Tony quipped.

"It has to." Tim answered softly, looking away.

"Because you don't trust that I can be there for you or because ….?"

"Because I won't let it rob me of anything else. I worked too hard to get where I am and it's hard enough to keep it on a normal day; all of this crap just isn't helping. It's time to move on." Tim replied firmly.

"I can respect that. If you're sleeping right, eating right and not so keyed up you're ready to explode." Tony compromised.

"Okay, Ducky." Tim smiled softly.

"Hey, when the man's right; he's right." Tony threw back at him as he parked the car and turned it off, turning in his seat to look at his teammate.

"I know. And you're right. I promise, everything's okay." Tim told him as he looked at him with honesty and appreciation.

"Just make sure it stays that way."

"You expect me to have that much power over the crap that comes my way?" Tim scoffed as they began walking back to the building.

"Nope. I just expect you to respect your teammates enough to call them when you need help."

"Like you, ya mean?" Tim stopped and looked at Tony with something akin to anger. "Tony, don't be such a hypocrite. You never call the team, at least you never call me. So don't even go there with me. "

"McGee, I…"

"No, forget it, I understand, it's not how you work. That's fine. Far be it for me to mess up what works for you. Just don't think you have the right to get pissed at me if I don't come to you."

"Wait, what the hell happened to you knowing I meant it when I said I was here for you?"

"I don't know, Tony. What did happen to it? I'm confused myself right about now. It sounds like you've gotten us stuck on some one-way street." Tim quipped with a smart-alec tone.

"Okay, McBrainiac. I get it. Yes, I expect you to call us for help when you need it and yes, I will try harder to do the same."

"There, that wasn't so hard now, was it, Tony?" Tim smirked as he resumed walking toward the building.

"You have no idea." Tony muttered.

*********NCIS**********

Walking back into the squad room, Tim smiled softly at Ziva in greeting, went straight to his desk, and got back to work without a word or even a glimpse in the boss' direction. Gibbs looked the young man over from where he sat at his own desk, and noticed his youngest agent seemed uncomfortable walking back in and wondered what that was about. Knowing Tim would talk to him about it if and when he wanted to; the boss let the silence slip back into place as Tony silently slid in behind his desk and got back to work as well.

Soon, the afternoon had slipped away and early evening brought with it the chance to go home at a normal time. Since there had been no more disruptions within their team or in the squad room, Gibbs rewarded them by cutting them loose at the early hour of six.

"Go home!" he called out as he took himself out for fresh coffee.

Tony, Ziva and Tim all scrambled for their packs after quickly shutting down their workstations; although Tim was moving at a much slower pace than the other two.

"Hey, Probie, let's go get some chow."

"Only if we're treating Ziva to dinner." Tim threw out there with a smile in her direction.

"That would be lovely, McGee. Thank you." Ziva responded with a smile.

"Sure, why not?" Tony glibly added as the three of them trouped out together.

"Aren't we forgetting someone?" Tony asked.

"You mean Abby? No, she's had plans for tonight for several months now." Tim answered knowingly.

"Ah, yes, another one of her beloved concerts." Ziva offered in mock sadness.

"Don't remind me." Tim and Tony muttered in tandem as they got on the elevator.

***NCIS***

Sitting out on his back deck, taking the time to enjoy the beauty of the thick blanket of stars overhead clearly seen in the full moon, Gibbs had set his mind on autopilot and wasn't weighed down under any one particular thought or problem for a change, thankful that Tim had found the stamina and strength to move on. The fact that Tony had found a way to help fix things with his 'little brother' was a bonus. The boss hadn't missed the fact that his three agents left the building together tonight and it had done his heart good to see they were all in good spirits when they left.

The sound of a car in his driveway, disturbed Gibbs' peace and quiet, but it was the unusual quality of the engine noise that caught his attention. He wasn't familiar with that make and model of car and wondered who it was. He didn't have long to wait before he heard the knock on his front door and realized it had to be Tim. He'd be the only one to knock besides Ducky and Gibbs knew what the M.E.'s car sounded like. Getting up, Gibbs strolled to the back gate and hollered over it.

"Out back, McGee."

Tim walked around the side of the house to the gate of Gibbs' backyard and found himself face to face with the man he'd come to talk to; although he had no idea what he'd come to say.

"C'mon in." Gibbs encouraged as he took in his agent's nervousness. "Want something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Wouldn't be here right now if that were true, would ya? What's on your mind?"

"Not really sure." Tim admitted as he found himself feeling pretty stupid for nearly falling apart over the phone earlier with Gibbs. Here he was trying to hold onto all things normal, he goes, and lets things get so far out of normal he almost hadn't recognized himself earlier.

"Can't read your mind, McGee." The boss reminded him as he sat down next to him on the back porch steps. "Spit it out."

"Guess I just wanted to thank you. For everything. Especially earlier today when I …"

"You didn't come here to thank me."

Tim looked down at his feet. As usual, the boss had him pegged but that didn't mean Tim knew how to say what was on his mind.

"Want you to go talk to someone, McGee."

Tim's head came up and his eyes snapped over to those of his boss. Gibbs wanted him to see a shrink? _Gibbs hates shrinks and doesn't even credit them for anything good!_

"Not a judgment, Tim. Anyone who went through what you did and all that crap after would be advised to do the same thing. Need you fit for field duty all the way around. Can't afford to risk what those dirt bags did to you, messin' with your head somewhere down the road because you never dealt with it." Gibbs read his mind and addressed the issue at hand.

"I've dea…" Tim objected.

"No you haven't. You've been so busy hiding it away so it doesn't see the light of day that you haven't let yourself deal with any of it. If you had, maybe Tony's name wouldn't have been such a punch in the gut to you all day today. "

The younger man's shoulders hunched in silent defeated agreement.

"You figure if you bottle it all back up, life will just go on and you can pretend it never happened. Not gonna happen, McGee. Trust me on this, all right? Next 30 days I want you on desk duty while you finish healing up and during that month, get your head wrapped around what happened and screwed on completely straight." The boss instructed calmly. "Get your return to the field signed off when the doc says you're ready and I'll be happy to send you back out."

Tim didn't know whether to feel shame or wanted. His mind couldn't figure this side of the boss out even if he was still issuing orders. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it back out, he looked up at Gibbs for a half-second before he looked away; still unable to commit to what the boss was asking for.

Gibbs sighed and let the subject drop for now. "Going in for more coffee." He said as he turned and left Tim alone on the back porch steps.

When he came back out, Tim was gone. Feeling frustrated, Gibbs walked over to his gate and looked out at his driveway, only to see that Tim hadn't gone very far at all. The young man was standing there – in the exact spot he'd been dumped out of the car on that fateful night. Knowing his agent had to be trying to relieve that night for some reason, only served to pull on Gibbs' heartstrings.

Walking through the gate and on around the yard and coming to a standstill beside his agent, he couldn't help but feel the ache in his heart as he recalled the feelings of horror, anger and even fear that had swept him that night when he'd rolled this agent's badly beaten body over and discovered it was Tim. Looking at the young man now, he wasn't surprised to see his eyes clouded over, undoubtedly with a plethora of thoughts running through his brain.

"Hello, Jethro." The silence between them was broken by the sweet voice of his elderly neighbor. Mrs. Crawford. "Hello, young man, I don't believe we've ever met. I'm Julia Crawford. "

Brought from his troubled thoughts and memories that just wouldn't come no matter how much he tried to force them, Tim blinked and looked at the spritely woman standing next to his boss. "Hi." He returned her greeting bashfully.

"Mrs. Crawford, Tim McGee." Gibbs made the introductions calmly.

"This is the young man that got thrown from that car?" Mrs. Crawford asked warmly with surprise.

"Yes, Ma'am." Tim answered quietly.

"Well, young man, you certainly gave Jethro here the scare of his life, I can tell you that. Me too! I am so thankful to see that you are alive and well. You are well, aren't you?" She asked as she scrutinized him as if her eyes were microscopes seeing into his very heart and soul.

Tim glanced at Gibbs before looking the woman straight on. "I'm getting there." He answered her honestly.

"Good! I'd hate to know that those horrible people got the best of you! If you work for Jethro, you must be made of sterner stuff. I know what a bear he can be. And you just remember, young man, It doesn't make you less of a man to ask for help when you need it! I'm sure what you went through that night hasn't been easy to swallow." She offered with a look of utter conviction in what she was saying.

Tim didn't know what to say. _Sterner stuff?_ He sure didn't feel like he fit that bill on most days and here on the spot, he felt even less like he fit it. But he did hear what she was saying. In essence, she was supporting Gibbs' instructions. The fact that Gibbs was standing there silently listening to his neighbor's advice on this subject was disconcerting and so he made an extra effort not to look the boss' way just yet.

He couldn't do this. It left him feeling too exposed. He finally looked at Gibbs before he spoke: "Okay. "

Gibbs looked at him for a long minute before he nodded in silent understanding and acceptance of what Tim was committing himself to.

Looking at the dear woman one last time, Tim spoke again. "Thank you Mrs. Crawford. It was very nice meeting you." Turning back to Gibbs, Tim had one last thing to say. "Thank you. For everything. I really should go." Tim murmured as he turned and walked up Gibbs' driveway to his car and got in, started it up and slowly backed out and began to drive away without looking back.

"Was it something I said, Jethro?" Mrs. Crawford asked worriedly.

"It's still pretty fresh for him. He'll be fine." Gibbs glanced at her and met her eyes for a moment before turning his eyes to watch as Tim drove away.

"You take good care of him, Jethro. He seems like quite a nice young man." The older woman gently admonished.

Gibbs's eyes remained locked on his agent's quickly disappearing vehicle as it drove down the street as he quietly promised:

"I will. We all will."

**FINIS***


End file.
